For the most part, the world of automotive careers remains dominated by men, but there are plenty of opportunities for women as well as reasons why the automotive field is a good place for women to be. Some sectors of the field are majority women, but even outside this range, cars could simply use more females in the garage, the saleroom floor and behind the wheel.
Dispatcher jobs are one of the few places currently dominated by women. Perhaps because switchboard and telephone operators have historically been women or because of a tendency for women to be pushed into social, customer service or people-focused jobs, it's not uncommon for dispatcher courses to be full of women.
If women can dispatch vehicles, they can certainly drive them. There is no reason for truck driving or even sitting behind the wheel of a limo to be a male dominated field other than custom. Critics of females in roles like taxi driver point to the risks inherent in working at all hours with strangers, but women already do that in a plethora of jobs from healthcare to food service. Additionally, for women who worry about safety, a female cab driver may even be seen as a positive thing.
On the other hand, cars have increasingly, at least from an owner's side, stopped being a male world. The majority of car owners are now women by a small margin, mostly necessitated by the fact that women as well as men work and require transportation. For many purposes male and female car needs are equivalent, though female car buyers favour smaller and more fuel efficient models.
One of the challenges faced by female car buyers is the occasionally accurate perception that they are not taken as seriously and with car prices being partially negotiable, face higher car prices than men. For women looking for an auto career this presents an easy opportunity to go into sales. Since the field is currently male dominated, female auto sales college grads can sell themselves as the more women friendly option to what will be over fifty percent of their client base.
Additionally, garages are starting to open up to women. Long labeled the bastion of he-man misogyny, no professional garage resembled the chauvinistic stereotype anymore. As with the sales floor, female car owners still need to get their cars serviced and sometimes feel like they're not sure if they can trust their technician. Automotive mechanic training it open to anyone any you may even be able to get special grants for females in trades to help fund your education.
Regardless of what you pick, if you're a woman, there's never been a better time than now to enter the field.
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