It’s always been a cliche that women don’t do as well as men at parking a car, but fair-minded citizens usually dismissed this as a stereotype. A new study, though, suggests that women are worse than men in this skill.

A female scientist in Germany, Dr Claudia Wolf, led the study and says her results echo previous findings, about men having better co-ordination and spatial awareness compared to women, and that they take more risks behind the wheel whereas women are more conservative, tentative drivers.

Critics may question the sample size and methodology though, and challenge the veracity of these findings. But Dr. Wolf defends the study, saying: “I don’t think that feminism or the cause of women is in any way set back by these findings. It only proves what previous studies about the spatial differences between men and women have shown.”