Uber's "Women Preferences" Feature Is Finally Here — Here's Everything You Need to Know
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After years of pressure, lawsuits, and damning safety reports, Uber has rolled out a feature that many women riders and drivers have been asking for: the option to match exclusively with other women.
Called Women Preferences, the program quietly launched across the U.S. and select global markets this week. Here's what it actually means for you.
So, What Is It?
Simple in concept: when booking a ride, women passengers can now select a "Women Drivers" option in the app. Uber will then match them with an available woman driver nearby. If the wait is too long, riders can always opt for the next available driver instead — no pressure.
On the flip side, women drivers can toggle on a "Women Rider Preference" in their settings, meaning they'll be preferentially matched with female passengers.
Where Can You Use It?
If you're a driver, the feature is available in over 40 countries. For riders, it's currently live in seven: the U.S., Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain — with more markets on the way.
Why Now?
Uber says women asked for it. The company first piloted a version of the feature in Saudi Arabia back in 2019, following a law change that allowed women to drive. But the broader rollout is clearly a response to years of mounting safety scrutiny.
The numbers have been hard to ignore. Between 2017 and 2022, a sexual assault or misconduct was reported to Uber roughly every eight minutes in the U.S., according to reporting by the New York Times. Uber has maintained that those numbers have since dropped, and the company has said it's invested heavily in safety infrastructure — including a shared database with Lyft that flags drivers removed for misconduct.
Still, Uber didn't directly address the safety record in its Women Preferences announcement. Make of that what you will.
It's Not Without Controversy
In November, two male drivers filed a class-action lawsuit arguing the feature discriminates against men by effectively routing more passengers to women drivers. They claim it "reinforces the gender stereotype that men are more dangerous than women."
Uber's response? The feature "serves a strong and recognized public policy interest in enhancing safety" — and that it's a common-sense solution to requests from women who said they'd feel more comfortable riding and driving with other women.
The lawsuit is ongoing, so this likely isn't the last we'll hear about it.
Women Preferences doesn't solve Uber's safety problems overnight. But it does hand control back to riders and drivers who've long wanted it. Whether it becomes a widely-used feature or a niche option, the fact that it exists at all reflects a shift in how ride-share platforms are being pressured to think about safety — not just as a PR talking point, but as a product decision.