There are important aspirational factors to consider when confronting any subject likely to be beset with prejudices. Harking back to what I said a few days ago: initial interest is the primary motivation underpinning achievement in anything – and may come about (OR NOT) for all manner of reasons – which surely must include social norms and their influence. It might be worth drawing a parallel between motor sport and aviation since there seems a correlation between those who take part in either. This is a story of a 92 year old woman who flew Spitfires (amongst other things) during WWII: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...56.html?cps=gravity_2246_-3872365169787265474. Notwithstanding the significance of the feat itself, it is really the comments from readers which I want to draw attention to. Here are two of them: By Alastair Stell · Top Commenter · UCL "I was taught to fly by a woman who was a better pilot than I could ever be. Unfortunately there just aren't enough women interested in flying; either commercial or private or military - I seriously wish more women wanted to get involved." … followed by … Tome Cate · Top Commenter · University of Wisconsin-Madison "Alastair Stell : My General Aviation CFI was a woman, as well. I was her first student pilot to earn his private pilot's license. (She used to sell Electrolux vacuum cleaners, door-to-doore. She's flying B-25's in her spare time, today)".
I didn't say psychologically men have the upper hand at all, I said psychologically men are more inclined towards physical competition, which is why more men choose to compete than women across all sports. Both have an equal opportunity to compete, yet generally 92% in the UK are men. This isn't because statisticians are sexist, or that women are banned or discouraged from sport, but because generally, women prefer shopping for clothes and matching shoes to running around a muddy field kicking a ball, generally they prefer having manicures and their hair done to driving flat out down a straight flat out in the freezing rain. Not all, but most. My problem is Suzie Wolff, she is THE WORST person to promote women in F1, there are far better women racers, half her age the BBC could champion, rather than a woman who's only attribute is she's sleeping with one of the bosses. What's the message there? "you don't have to have talent, or a decent racing record, just find a rich bloke involved in the upper echelons of motorsport and start sleeping with him" but hey, call me sexist and champion that by all means
