A woman with a motor vehicle available to her has the whole world at her feet

The car was regarded as a symbol of freedom and personal fulfilment – not only for men, but also for women. Having said that, this only applied to very wealthy ladies, authoresses, actresses, dancers, women who broke free of the social conventions and enjoyed their freedom. They danced the Charleston, wore trousers, had their hair done in a bob cut, held their cigarette in the corner of their mouth and ... drove cars. They loved challenges and speed, whether they were just enjoying a drive or going all the way round the world, and took part in car races – equitably, and very successfully too. The freedom they had seemed limitless.

Having said that, the actual number of women who drove remained small right on into the 1970s. On the one hand, the acquisition of a driving licence was not strictly connected with a person's gender. But until 1958, women who wished to take a driving test required the consent of their husband or father. For the majority of German husbands, letting their spouse take the wheel of their 'pride and joy' continued to be quite unimaginable. At the same time, car advertisements like the one for the Isetta by BMW in 1958 suggested to men that they should finally give their wife her liberty by buying her a small car of her own. It wasn't until 1982 that women were allowed to take their driving test on completion of their 18th year just as men were. Since then they have been able to drive whenever they want to with the passenger or passengers of their choice, and go wherever they like.