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Female Drivers Now Outnumber Men

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And our last word in business today is: women drivers.

Men have always outnumbered women on America's roads, but that's no longer the case. More women now have driver's licenses than men.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

That's according to the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, which says that in 2010, 105 million women held licenses compared to 104 million guys.

MONTAGNE: The number of licenses for both sexes is actually declining, it's just declining faster among men. As for why, researchers have all kinds of theories.

INSKEEP: Maybe it's easier to just Skype people rather than drive to see them. People are addicted to text messages, which are easier to send from public transit. Car sales declined during the recession. And then there's a theory involving the high price of car insurance for young men.

MONTAGNE: Yet another reason perhaps, is that young men don't need cars to be cool these days, when they can always get their girlfriends to drive them.

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

INSKEEP: And I'm Steve Inskeep.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.