On March 22, 1900 Anne Rainsford French became the first woman in America to get a driver’s license: it was a Steam Engineer’s License (Automobile Class). Over 100 years later the number of women with licenses surpassed men for the first time. And the ability to get around independently has helped empower women all around the world.

Today that freedom is helping (literally) drive another wave of women’s empowerment: the opportunity to fit work around life, rather than the other way around. Around 20 million Americans work fewer hours than they would like for “non-economic reasons,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These include personal commitments, in particular child care, that can make full-time jobs so difficult.

It’s one of the reasons Uber last year announced a commitment to get one 1 million women drivers using our app by 2020. Because driving a car isn’t just a way to get to work—it can be the work. For women around the world, Uber offers something unique: work on demand, whenever you want it. Drivers can make money on their own terms and set their own schedules.

Women across San Diego are taking the wheel and showing how work on demand works for them. Last week, we were thrilled to host an Uber Driven Women event right here in SD. Women partners got a chance to get in the same room and network, connect and share stories from behind the wheel with other partners on the platform. Better yet, we got to hear stories about their lives beyond partnering with Uber and how work on demand gives them the flexibility to manage it all.

“Driving with Uber fits in well with running my business because it’s flexible. It’s also the best networking resource I could ask for.” – Caitlin, Uber San Diego driver-partner and entrepreneur.

We were honored to have Anu Bhardwaj, CEO of Women Investing in Women, Frances Prado, Founder of Hanging Secrets, and Leigh Keith, COO & Co-founder of Perfect Bar & Company, there to share advice and experiences.

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At Uber, we’ve seen that amazing things can happen when women take the wheel. This month, and everyday, we want to celebrate the thousands of women in San Diego that are connecting us to each other and our Marvelous City.