Trailblazing women around the world have historically made major strides and broken glass ceilings. From the perceived notion of the housewife to equal rights policies, a lot has changed since the days when we were not allowed to own property, much less have an occupation.
We are seeing a shift in the traditionally male-dominated spaces in automotive and women are leading the charge in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Just recently, Amanda Gordon, owner of GoJo Auto in Denver, became the first Black woman to own a car dealership in the state of Colorado.
We are seeing a shift in the traditionally male-dominated spaces in automotive and women are leading the charge in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Although the 2010 recession reduced the number of female executives in the automotive industry, we are now seeing a rebound, and the status of women in the automotive industry has increased. Now, you can even say that women outrank men with triple the number of C-Suite executives at automakers and suppliers.
I would be remiss not to mention the iconic name of General Motors CEO/Chair(wo)man Mara Barra. As the first female CEO of a leading global automaker, she paved the way for many women after her and set a successful example of work-life balance. Much like our President/COO, Denise (Casagrande) Galiatsatos, many women are helping to shape a culture of work-life balance for the next generation of female leaders in automotive.
The automotive industry has been a place where women have confronted gender stereotypes head-on. Given the opportunity, women have proved their strength and vision. We’re in a time where women have a great opportunity to take on leadership roles as creators and tech innovators in the automotive frontlines.
Women are commonly underutilized talent in the automotive industry.
Women are commonly underutilized talent in the automotive industry. In 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the percentage of women in the auto repair and maintenance industry was 9.9%.
A recent Deloitte study indicates that women don’t makeup nearly as much of the US auto manufacturing workforce as other professions. Despite the strides women have made in automotive, this talent gap hinders companies’ ability to tap into growth and innovation especially with the emergence of disruptors like AI.
To put it simply women are the solution, representation matters, hire and elevate more women.
Lauren McCaskill
