graduates is beyond the scope of this article. However, grid girls are a symptom of a larger problem with sexism in the system.
Would getting rid of grid girls positively change anything for women in motorsport? I think it would, if it was part of a larger initiative to reduce sexist practices. I should note here that every woman I have spoken to who works in motorsport loves the work and feels valued by their teams; that is not what is at issue here. However, ending an antiquated tradition would mean the removal of one more mental barrier for women in racing.
One of the first points mentioned in literature on reducing stereotype threat is to de-emphasize threatened social identities. In other words, if there were fewer obvious reminders of girl-racers' female-ness, they would do better on-track. This would have the positive effect of providing role models for other women drivers, reducing stereotype threat further.
Is there anything that girl-racers can do on their own to reduce the effects of stereotype threat on their driving performance? Of course! There are plenty of resources out there to help them make it on their own. But stopping sexist traditions should be considered if we're serious about having women fairly represented on motor racing grids.
The FIA have taken several programs to get women more involved in motorsport, and they have made some progress. Since the Women in Motorsport initiative was started, several female drivers have been included in the Formula E and WEC grids, and Formula 1 has two female development drivers. The industry is opening up to women, but change is slow.
It has been said that if you have lived with privilege all your life, equality starts to look like oppression. Di Grassi – and most men in racing – have lived all their lives with the privileges associated with being men. Michael Kimmel noted in his book Guyland that men, in general, were reticent to give up the privileges of masculinity in favour of a more gender-equal society. It's not easy to give up something society has misled one to believe is the right of one's demographic.
Di Grassi's willingness to hear outside opinions on this topic is to be lauded, even though I disagree with his conclusions. Yes, gender-equal hiring of grid girls would be fairer than all-female grid attendants. No, I don't believe it's the fairest options. However, it is only by having open, public conversations about topics like this that we can tease out all the issues at play and come to a resolution as a community.
Image: Richard Washbrooke