Research

Women in the Automotive Industry (Quick Take)

Feb 10, 2022

GLOBAL

The Automotive Industry Lacks Gender Diversity Among Executive Teams Which Is Unlikely to Change Anytime Soon1

In 2018, only 16 women (8%) were executives in the top 20 motor vehicles and parts companies in the Fortune Global 500. This is a small change from 14 women (7%) in 2014.2

  • Over half of the top 20 companies in this industry have zero women on their executive teams.3
Representation of Women in the Automotive Industry

In Canada, women’s representation has long been low in automotive manufacturing, with women holding just 23% of jobs in assembly and only 25% in parts production in 2019, despite making up 48% of the Canadian labour force.4

  • Women of colour held 4% of jobs in assembly and 11% in parts production in 2019.5

There were three times as many men as women employed in the automotive industry in the European Union in 2016.6

In 2020, women in Japan were only 17.9% of employees in the automobile maintenance service industry.7

The Automotive Industry Has Difficulty Attracting Women8

The top three reasons women considered leaving the industry in the UK in 2020 were lack of promotion opportunities (16%), poor work-life balance (15%), and organizational cultural norms (11%).9

Women in the US cited multiple reasons for avoiding a career in the industry in 2020, including a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion (64%), a lack of work-life balance (53%), and a lack of flexible schedules (43%).10

Women in the Automotive Industry Report High Levels of Sexual Harassment11

In a 2017 survey, 53% of women in the automotive industry in the UK reported being sexually harassed in the workplace.12

  • 20% of men reported sexual harassment.
  • 10% of women reported being sexually assaulted.

In a recent US survey, 65% of women working in the automotive industry reported unwelcome sexual advances at work.13

UNITED STATES

Although Women Are Almost Half of the US Labor Force, They Represent Just Over One-Quarter of the Automotive Workforce14

In 2020:

  • Women held 26.1% of jobs in the motor vehicles and motor vehicles equipment manufacturing industry.15
    • Women of color made up a fraction of employees in the industry:16
      • Black women: 6.2%.
      • Asian women: 1.7%.
      • Latinas: 3.1%.
      • White women: 17.5%.
  • Women were 21.1% of automobile dealers and 9.0% of automotive repair and maintenance employees.17
Few Women in Automotive in the US Reach Executive Ranks18

In 2014, Mary Barra became CEO of General Motors in the United States and the first woman to run a major automaker.19

LEARN MORE

 

How to cite this product: Women in the automotive industry: Quick Take. (2022). Catalyst.

  1. 20-first’s 2018 global gender balance scorecard: Automotive top 20: Men still hogging the wheel. (2018). 20-first; The future of work in the automotive industry: The need to invest in people’s capabilities and decent and sustainable work. (2020). International Labour Organization.
  2. 20-first’s 2018 global gender balance scorecard: Automotive top 20: Men still hogging the wheel. (2018). 20-first.
  3. 20-first’s 2018 global gender balance scorecard: Automotive top 20: Men still hogging the wheel. (2018). 20-first.
  4. Women’s participation in Canada’s automotive industry. (2020). (FOCAL) Initiative, Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition, Prism Economics and Analysis, and Automotive Policy Research Centre.
  5. Women’s participation in Canada’s automotive industry. (2020). (FOCAL) Initiative, Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition, Prism Economics and Analysis, and Automotive Policy Research Centre.
  6. The future of work in the automotive industry: The need to invest in people’s capabilities and decent and sustainable work. (2020). International Labour Organization.
  7. Statistics Bureau of Japan. (2021). Table 2.2.1: Employed person by industry and status in employment. [Data set]. Labour Force Survey Basic Tabulation Whole Japan Yearly.
  8. M. Lytle, R. Robinson, and R. Wagner Skarbek. Shifting diversity into high gear: Helping to close the auto industry’s talent gap. (2019). Deloitte Insights.
  9. Women at the wheel: 2020 women in the automotive industry study. (2020). Deloitte.
  10. Women at the wheel: 2020 women in the automotive industry study. (2020). Deloitte.
  11. S. Oak. (2020, September 24). Sexual harassment in the workplace leads to some women leaving their jobs. Automotive 30% Club.
  12. S. Oak. (2020, September 24). Sexual harassment in the workplace leads to some women leaving their jobs. Automotive 30% Club.
  13. Alexander, Morrison + Fehr. Auto industry plagued by sexism, sexual harassment.
  14. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 3: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by age, sex, and race [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey; US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 18: Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  15. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 18: Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  16. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 2: Employed and experienced unemployed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, annual average 2020. [Data set]. Current Population Survey (unpublished data).
  17. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 18: Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  18. N. Bomey. (2019, November 11). The auto industry is still a boys’ club at the top despite GM CEO Mary Barra’s success. USA Today.
  19. J. Bennett and S. Murray. (2013, December 10). General Motors names Mary Barra as CEO. The Wall Street Journal.