Women often face challenges when they get behind the wheel of a car. What should she do with her bag? It’s just not a good place. There’s the passenger seat, if it’s empty, or even the footwell outside it, if you don’t mind reaching all the way back.

Cups, keys, even cell phones have holders, but purses and handbags rarely have good places to rest. It’s not just women who carry bags, and it’s not just purses. In addition to wallets, purses also contain house keys, car keys, and even the key for the vehicle. The car isn’t the place to toss it anywhere. The placement of purses in automobiles wasn’t always such a problem. In recent decades, automakers have struggled to balance competing needs for space, convenience, and style. Occasionally, automakers cater to female drivers in special, and sometimes clumsy, ways. In the mid-1950s, Chrysler introduced a new model specifically for women. In place of chrome, the Dodge La Femme had brushed gold badging with an embroidered rosebud pattern. The rear seat had a pouch behind it that held color-coordinated rain gear. Also included with the car was a purse made of rose-colored leather. On the front seat was another satchel that held the pink purse. Nice, but not very convenient, since the driver would have to reach awkwardly around before getting into the seat.