Naomi

I requested for a cab using the uber app this afternoon and pronto, a cabbie was said to be on the way. The driver's name was given as Naomi. The first Nigerian lady cabbie on Uber in my reckoning. She arrived on time and the trip started. We got talking and I expressed the view that since the Uber app is technology driven there will not be a question of competing with her male counterparts as the app would simply give the cab requests to the driver nearest to the requester. The young lady then informed me that most requesters cancel their trips the moment they are advised of her gender! She usually experiences as much as six cancellations in a row! Most people she says are not convinced that a lady will be able to drive them safely to their destinations! Really! Naomi then admitted that if she was a requester, she too would have some hangups about going with a lady cabbie! Amazing! Could this be discrimination against women, by men and also by women? Or is this a deep sensing by the human beings that there are some roles that are not suitable for the grace and nobility of womanhood?