# Assessing the Effect of Drivers' Gender on Their Intention to Use Fully Automated Vehicles
## 4 Discussion
With a certain frequency, gender-focused studies are solely descriptive and ignore the covariant and \"invisible\" relationships and effects among multiple factors, as happens in simple mean comparisons that (although still interesting), do not properly delve into the mechanisms by which multiple gender differences can simultaneously interact [51; 53]. Therefore, and beyond the significant mean differences found in these terms, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the differential role of various features expected to be found in SAE 5 level cars between drivers of both genders, serving as a starting point for further research on the matter. Addressing each one of the six variables included in the significant MGSEM model as predictors of drivers' intention to use AVs, a summary is presented below:  
* _Interaction with ICTs_. This technology demand-related variable significantly explained males' (although not females') intention in a positive way. In other words, and although the magnitude of the significant path coefficient is low, it can be assumed that male drivers keeping a greater degree of contact with technological devices might also tend to have a greater intention to shift from a conventional car to an AV. Previously, some few studies have assessed the link between interaction with ICTs and the intention of using cars provided with higher SAE level technologies, also finding a predictive (and positive) link amongst them [6; 55]. Additionally, and although no gender focus had never been applied before to this specific issue, it is worth remarking how other studies have linked previous interactions between people and technology with their acceptance of new technological solutions and improvements [56; 57]. _Greater connectivity of AVs:_ Same as Interaction with Information and Communication Technologies, this feature of AVs had a structurally different role, in function to driver's gender. Namely, it negatively influenced intentions of male drivers, although not of females. In this regard, previous research endorses the role of information-related privacy and security as a prevalent concern for many of both technology and road users, including the case of drivers [1, 9, 12, 14]. This is, in other words, an issue that (besides all current ethical discussions existing in these regards [13]) might need additional efforts aimed at (i) guaranteeing users a desirable level of security, stability and reliability [58], and (ii) communicating what are the real aspects on which the connectivity of the AVs will be used to their powerful users, in a clear, participatory and comprehensive manner [13, 55, 56]. * _Reduction of driving demands:_ Contrary to what is observed in the case of the _greater connectivity_ feature, the fact that automated cars reduce driving demands seems to represent \"an incentive\" (to a significant extent) only for women, among whom the predictive relationship between the feature and their intention to use AVs remains positive. In this regard, a reasonably plausible explanation is the fact that, overall, males tend to believe they perform significantly better than others in different tasks, including vehicle driving [59, 60], as well as being more optimistic and perceiving themselves as less prone to get in a crash, particularly when judging their own driving skills [60]. Moreover, and as vehicle automation aims at progressively decreasing the number and complexity of the demands imposed to the driver by trip-related tasks [9], and fully automated cars are designed to practically drive themselves, it is not surprising to find emerging concerns surrounding this (nowadays) set of almost unknown dynamics in transportation [27, 42], especially if it is taken into account that the most complex levels of automation still remain practically unexploited on public roads in the eyes of drivers [7, 16, 28].