The age-old stereotype of cars being a man's pursuit is definitely starting to wear thin. In recent years, the car market has seen women slowly but steadily catching up to men in the buying department, and for the first time, the ladies may be poised to overtake the gentlemen as the new queens of the road. The details of this trend may surprise you.

Why are women more interested?
It's true that the number of women driving has increased – Par Excellence Magazine reported that since 1972, the ladies have gone from making up 44 percent of licensed drivers in the U.S. to half of them. Yet that fairly modest climb in driver representation does little to account for the surge in ladies at the dealership.

Research suggests that economics most likely play a factor. According to data from CNW market research, since 2007 and the recession, men have been plagued with greater instances of unemployment than their fairer counterparts, with women on average seeing almost 2 percent lower unemployment rates. The secret lies in which kinds of cars both groups are buying. In general, men like to put their money where their wheels are. The top brands with the highest percentage of male owners are, unsurprisingly, Lamborghini, McLaren and Ferrari, MarketWatch reported. The women, on the other hand, tend to be more sensible with their car purchases. The top woman-owned brands? Mini, Kia and Fiat, according to Edmunds. 

More men facing unemployment and economic hardship means there are fewer of them who are able to spend top dollar on big-ticket cars, leaving room for their statistically more sensible counterparts to zoom in and start claiming the top spot.

How will this affect cars?
Not only are women beginning to buy more cars, they're becoming more active in the industry. General Motors, one of the country's largest manufacturers, currently has a woman at the helm, and Par Excellence Magazine indicated that more women are beginning to move into design and engineering positions. This shift could lead to more cars designed for women by women, possibly serving as a mediator in the great motorized battle of the sexes.

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