I have a hard time believing this study, if only because of the many studies which show men have better spatial reasoning. Spatial reasoning, at least in my mind, being heavily related to parking parking ability.

/Oblig

Perhaps it's because women get so much practice with it, what with frequent shopping trips and all, and men are apathetic about parking (unless they are obsessive about their cars).

Men drive into a parking lot and park in the first spot they find, preferrably without any other cars in adjacent spots (the men's room urinal rules apply to parking spots), then walk 1000 feet to the door of the building. Women will circle the lot and eventually wait till a spot close to the door opens up, especially in winter.

BULLSHIAT!

If chicks were so great at parking, how do you explain, between my mom and my wife, the rear view mirror torn off entering and exiting the garage (4 times), the damaged quarter panel from sliding against a fire hydrant (2 times), the damaged bumper hitting a cow-sized rock, the scuffed hubcaps from grinding against the curb (at least 20 times), the shattered garage door from backing into it (2 times), and all of the door dings from parking right on the driver-side line?

Oh, it MUST be the roving bands of male gypsies who magically offer to park the car for them, do it poorly, and then run away.

The overall score for women drivers was higher than for male drivers. Women also fared better when it came to finding empty spaces, were more accurate in lining themselves up before starting a parking maneuver, and were more likely to use a driving instructor's favored method of reversing into a parking spot.

Ok, fine. But was anybody counting a) how long the average parking job took, and b) how much damage was caused?

Samwise Gamgee: The overall score for women drivers was higher than for male drivers. Women also fared better when it came to finding empty spaces, were more accurate in lining themselves up before starting a parking maneuver, and were more likely to use a driving instructor's favored method of reversing into a parking spot.

Ok, fine. But was anybody counting a) how long the average parking job took, and b) how much damage was caused?

Sounds like the WNBA of parking. Good fundamentals, but doing it wrong in all the ways that matter.

Meanwhile, the men parked the car, ran into the store and are on their way back to the car with groceries in hand while Suzy is still lining up Ms. Instructor's preferred 'shoulder view 50 degree time step interval method' to backing up the car.

I wouldn't be surprised if this study was skewed by people like my Father....

My Dad is a former grease monkey/mechanic who loved cars. As a kid he'd actively race people. He thought it was fun to find an empty parking lot and 'practice' driving. By any normal standard he's an amazing driver.

He's also an asshole.

He routinely parks in the middle of two spots. It's not that he doesn't know how to park, it's that he had his car dinged one time too many (probably by a chick who couldn't park) that he says, 'F*** it - cops can't give me a ticket, it's private property'

I have no idea how sound his legal reasoning is; but I do know he's been doing it for years. When I mention this on the internet, e-tough guys come out of the woodwork to tell me how 'IF THEY SAW SOMEONE DOING THAT' they'd do 'x' or 'y'....but in real life, nobody's done jack. He parks like a d-bag without any repercussions.

Because of this; using the criteria of the study, my Mom, who is a significantly less skilled driver than him, would outscore him.

Sure they are, that's why almost every female I've ever driven with either makes me parallel park their car for them or they pass up the spot to find one they can just drive into.

After years of enduring sexist jokes and taunts from their male counterparts, women drivers can finally park. Good for them, now when will they learn how to drive?

That's why I've had two female drivers BOTH back up into my car while I was parked in a stationary position? One of them totaled my door, and the other just drove off. I wouldn't be surprised if all the dents in my car are due to women and their shopping carts/car doors as well.

Women are terrible at parking, and this study is bullshiat.

What a crock. I wish they would just decide.

This artice made it into Fark a couple years ago (pops) (new window)

just for because sexism :

Link (new window)

Study is complete crap. According to my research, everyone but myself is an ahole who can't park. And I have 11 years of observational data.

RexTalionis: I'm an Asian man, so I have no trouble believing this study.

Ah that old stereotype.

/that asians are distrustful government studies.

A challenger appears: Sure they are, that's why almost every female I've ever driven with either makes me parallel park their car for them or they pass up the spot to find one they can just drive into.

Jesus, how big is your kitchen?

I call shenanigans!

Maybe they're "better" at parking in the same sense that Bush "won" the election?

But it's a British study, which proves women are better at parking from the passenger seat. Which is where they are when they're trying to tell us how to park.

Fark_Guy_Rob: I wouldn't be surprised if this study was skewed by people like my Father....

My Dad is a former grease monkey/mechanic who loved cars. As a kid he'd actively race people. He thought it was fun to find an empty parking lot and 'practice' driving. By any normal standard he's an amazing driver.

He's also an asshole.

He routinely parks in the middle of two spots. It's not that he doesn't know how to park, it's that he had his car dinged one time too many (probably by a chick who couldn't park) that he says, 'F*** it - cops can't give me a ticket, it's private property'

I have no idea how sound his legal reasoning is; but I do know he's been doing it for years. When I mention this on the internet, e-tough guys come out of the woodwork to tell me how 'IF THEY SAW SOMEONE DOING THAT' they'd do 'x' or 'y'....but in real life, nobody's done jack. He parks like a d-bag without any repercussions.

Because of this; using the criteria of the study, my Mom, who is a significantly less skilled driver than him, would outscore him.

That is exactly the case. I read a study a little while ago that stated that while women were actually less skilled at driving, they tended to drive more safely than their male counterparts. That's why young single men pay the most for car insurance, because yeah, they may have great driving skills, but they're also aggressive, dangerous drivers.

Slightly related:

My real-life superpower is being able to reliably find a parking spot at my destination within about 3 minutes, about 95% of the time, no matter time of day, or popularity of destination.

The downfall is that I hit about the same percentage of red-lights along the way.

Nexzus: Slightly related:

My real-life superpower is being able to reliably find a parking spot at my destination within about 3 minutes, about 95% of the time, no matter time of day, or popularity of destination.

The downfall is that I hit about the same percentage of red-lights along the way.

When you're aiming for 'any' parking spot as opposed to the 'that one, right there, on the left, no the other left, right next to the door, near the tan, no that's beige you idiot, nissan, fine, it's not a nissan it's a lexus, how would I know, OH FOR HEAVENS SAKE JUST PARK, we need to talk' spot, life is easier.

As someone above said: I just park in the empty lot and spend and extra 20-40 seconds walking to the store instead of cruising around like a lost lemur for 10 minutes. That's not specific to women mind you, I have male friends who do it too. Drives me crazy, such a waste of time and effort.

watson.t.hamster: A challenger appears: Sure they are, that's why almost every female I've ever driven with either makes me parallel park their car for them or they pass up the spot to find one they can just drive into.

Jesus, how big is your kitchen?

kroonermanblack: Nexzus: Slightly related:

My real-life superpower is being able to reliably find a parking spot at my destination within about 3 minutes, about 95% of the time, no matter time of day, or popularity of destination.

The downfall is that I hit about the same percentage of red-lights along the way.

When you're aiming for 'any' parking spot as opposed to the 'that one, right there, on the left, no the other left, right next to the door, near the tan, no that's beige you idiot, nissan, fine, it's not a nissan it's a lexus, how would I know, OH FOR HEAVENS SAKE JUST PARK, we need to talk' spot, life is easier.

As someone above said: I just park in the empty lot and spend and extra 20-40 seconds walking to the store instead of cruising around like a lost lemur for 10 minutes. That's not specific to women mind you, I have male friends who do it too. Drives me crazy, such a waste of time and effort.

Not to mention fuel.

ahem.

Link (new window)

Link (new window)

Link (new window) (NSFW language)

Jeager76: ahem.

Link (new window)

Link (new window)

Link (new window) (NSFW language)

That second one, if real, is brilliant! Just need to add a fake parking meter to the mix.

Maybe because most women are willing to drive around for hours to find a spot that doesn't require parallel parking.