Should women be expected to know how to change a tyre?

The availability of stock images like this show it can be really hard for women who try to change their own tyres. Source: Getty Images

IT STARTED with a tweet, and now like so many apparently innocent online quips, it’s blowing up into a debate.

When a friend of mine shared a picture of a couple of (trying to be) helpful blokes assisting in changing her flat tyre, she thought it was funny.

But a few followers didn’t see the humorous side, instead taking the apparently divisive issue of a whether or not a woman should be expected to change her own tyre very seriously.

Clueless blokes struggling to change my flat tyre outside Sky @lehmannatlarge @samuelmclean pic.twitter.com/CNeH0BrfYF

— Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) February 10, 2015

Do women really expect a knight in shining armour to jack up their cars and sweep them off the side of the road, wrench and all?

Can you still call yourself a feminist and brandish a blatant disinterest in basic auto mechanics? These are some of the challenging questions the incident raised.

@SharriMarkson @lehmannatlarge @samuelmclean So they are changing YOUR tyre, yet THEY are clueless? Subscribe to auto club or learn how!

— Lazlar Lyricon (@LazlarLyricon) February 10, 2015

@SharriMarkson @lehmannatlarge @samuelmclean smile, and the feminist principle jumps out the window. Call the NRMA or do it yourself

— Malcolm Edwards (@MrMaled) February 10, 2015

@SharriMarkson change your own tyre? What the what?! One of the many advantages of being female is never changing a tyre.

— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) February 11, 2015

I can’t change a tyre. Sharri can’t change a tyre. To be honest, I would consider myself irresponsible if I allowed any of my friends to hop into a car that either of us had tinkered with.

But according to a few experts, as well as Twitter critics, it’s something we all should be across.

NRMA vehicle expert Jack Haley told news.com.au changing a tyre is a good skill to have, but there’s always backup, and most drivers — male or female — will probably need it.

“It’s a handy life skill that, yes, all drivers would learn,” he said.

“But most of the time, especially when cars have their tyres changed, they’re put on with an air gun, so most of the time even if people have the skill, men and women alike might not be able to finish the job.”

So basically, you shouldn't feel bad if it’s something you can’t get done whether you’re a man or a woman. And men need not feel emasculated, as discussed in this very reputable study, if it’s not really your thing.

But, heels! Source: Getty Images

I have had a bit of twitter criticism for not changing my own tyre. Can you now not be a feminist without changing your own tyre? But heels!

— Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) February 11, 2015

Mr Haley also said it’s a good idea to call the NRMA if you do get stuck because they have the tools to change the tyre for you no matter how tightly it’s screwed on.

But a woman in the auto industry told us more women were wanting to learn the skills involved in changing a tyre and decoding mechanics’ lingo, “because we can”.

“It’s a free country and if a woman wants to learn how to change a tyre, there’s nothing stopping her.

“There’s nothing stopping a bloke learning how arrange flowers either, but there’s probably less urgency in ever having to do that,” the insider said.

A businesswoman demonstrates you can do it in heels, too. Source: Getty Images

Basic auto clinics are held for women at various motor groups. There’s heaps of demand for it, apparently.

Still, I think I’d renew my NRMA membership before signing up and potentially endangering myself and any passengers in a car I had attacked with those newfound skills.

Have your say in the comments below. Should women be expected to know how to change a tyre? Can you still call yourself a feminist if you don’t?

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