‘Illegal discrimination’: Uber hurts the fragile-male ego after announcing women can opt out of male drivers

Uber is rolling out a new feature in the United States that will let women drivers and riders choose to avoid being paired with men. The ride-sharing company confirmed that starting next month, it will launch its “Women Preferences” features across the country. Women riders will be able to request drivers with the same gender identity, and women drivers will be able to do the same for riders.

The announcement has sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some users questioning the legality of the new policy. The feature is designed to improve comfort and safety for women on the platform by giving them more choice and flexibility when they use Uber. The company says the goal is to provide women with more confidence during their rides.

Social media users have been quick to share their thoughts on the new feature. One user commented, “That sounds like illegal discrimination,” in response to the announcement. Others have drawn comparisons to other gender-specific service requests, such as asking for a female doctor. The debate highlights how social media reactions can quickly escalate discrimination controversies, raising concerns about safety and potential discrimination issues.

Features will start with pilot cities before nationwide launch

The new features will first roll out to users in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit through the end of July and into August 2025. When requesting a trip, women will receive a new option called “Women Drivers.” If the wait time is longer than they want, they will still have the option to receive other rides with faster pickup times.

This is not the first time Uber has offered this type of feature. The company first launched Women Rider Preference in 2019 when a law was introduced to give women the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the feature has expanded to 40 countries and has completed over 100 million trips. However, safety concerns in ride-sharing have been documented extensively, with passengers reporting disturbing and dangerous experiences.

Camiel Irving, VP of Operations in the US and Canada, explained that the company has been testing and refining the feature. “We tested, listened, and refined it in markets like Germany and France, adapting the feature to real-world rider and driver behaviors,” Irving said. The feature comes as Uber has recorded thousands of incidents of sexual assaults over the years and seeks to introduce measures to make traveling safer.

Legal experts are warning of potential discrimination claims, as the feature excludes men by design. Some commentators suggest lawsuits are likely, arguing that refusing service based on gender could be considered discrimination. The debate reflects broader tensions between safety concerns for women and anti-discrimination principles. Uber’s rival Lyft was actually the first to offer women-matching features in the US market, showing that this approach is gaining traction in the ride-sharing industry.