<p>The more I read this thread the more I’m inclined to think that OP’s family comes from a culture where the majority of cars are driven by males. An 18-yr old son was allowed to take driver’s test (and was given a car to drive!), but a daughter of roughly the same age is not because she might get into an accident? It does not make sense to me. Statistically, OP is a safer driver than her brother. There is statistical evidence that the rates of auto accidents are lower for female teen drivers than those for males of the same ages (although I heard the gap is getting narrower), which is reflected in the insurance rates.
Here is one of the first hits that came up when I did a search on the subject matter:</p>