Why Can't Women Park A Car -- Is It Depth Perception?

Posting Date: 01/05/2001

Charles: I'm wondering why women can't space a car properly when they are parking. Why do they pull in wrong behind you all the time?

Do men and women have different depth perception?

Dr. Dean: Men do have better three-dimensional spatial visualization.

This doesn't mean some women are not better at it than some guys are, but rather when we plot the statistics on two bell-shaped curves, men outperform women in three-dimensional visualization. Maybe this is why guys are more attracted to engineering and building things than women are.

Women, on the other hand, have better language and communication skills.

Statistical curves should not be interpreted to ignore individual variations. Women at the far end of the curve have better spatial visualization than do the guys in the middle, just as guys at the far end of the linguistic curve are better at language than are the women in the middle.

We are grown up enough to accept the fact that the sexes are different, so I don't expect to get into trouble by acknowledging these distinctions.

Depth perception is not the same as spatial visualization, but the two are closely related and you need both skills to manipulate an object in space, which is what you do when you park an automobile.

You can't see your own bumper or your own taillight. You have to imagine that three-dimensional object and project where it will fit as the car straightens out.

I don't know of any statistics specific to parking, but I think a test could easily be designed to measure the skill levels. I would expect the average man would outperform the average woman.

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