Making Life Easier

Here are some features that would make cars friendlier to both male and female drivers.

- Lynn Tan

WHILE doing some research for a story, I came across an article about female-friendly features.

The list included features such as parking aids, a builtin vacuum cleaner and even a male gaze detector.

I am sure some women genuinely do appreciate these features that may help them stay extra safe, keep extra clean and deflect amorous extra attention from the opposite sex.

But for me, they came across as somewhat discriminatory, stereotyping women as bad drivers, reminding us that our place lies within the domestic sphere, and sexually objectifying females.

However, they did get me thinking about some of the features that I would personally find useful in a car.

Most are relevant only to female drivers, but male drivers may find one or two features rather useful too.

First up would be a handbag storage compartment. Most days, my handbag goes on the front passenger seat because my daughter sits in the backseat.

When I have an adult passenger in front, my handbag ends up in the rear. And when I am ferrying a car full of passengers, my handbag either goes in the boot or more often than not, one of my passengers will offer to park it on his or her (usually her) lap.