Women Driving

i love driving:)

Sam: I cited them because I found them relevant to the discussion. Nowhere did I otherwise comment on them other than to point them out.

benignuman: But without a car, won’t she walk more places and be out for everyone to see even more than if she is safely ensconced in a car?

I would think that walking, taking a bus, taking a subway, or taking a cab would all be less tzniyusdik.

That’s a fair argument. And, indeed, a number of rabbonim permit women to drive. No one is disputing that. And, perhaps, they like you will argue that a woman is less exposed to the public and to the street when she’s ensconced in a vehicle than if she’s walking on the street or taking public transit.

On the other hand, other rabbonim who pasken women are not permitted to drive might argue the ready access to driving gives her the ability, and inevitably in many cases the reality, of her being out of the home much more frequently than if she were limited to walking and public transit since a license and vehicle makes more places accessible (and thus more opportunities to be out) than otherwise.

Everyone should respect other’s psakim and minhagim. Those that hold women can drive should respect those that hold women cannot. And those that hold women cannot drive should respect those that hold women can.

Rav Vozner paskens that women should not drive:

http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1414&st=&pgnum=9&hilite=