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Girl Power Alive and Well in Automotive Industry
Mar 21 2008 by Emily Hansen
3/21/08
Women and Cars a Normal State of Mind
While hanging out in the Mama Said Cafe at the Chicago Auto Show, I was approached by two women who work for Mitsubishi. Not abnormal in itself; I was at an auto show, after all. What caught my attention, though, was what they said next: "We work in the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Ill."
Maybe that wouldn't have been earth-shattering for many of you, especially if you live in Normal (which is certainly a silly name for a town — sorry), but for me it was really intriguing. I don't know much about this Mitsubishi plant, but I know enough about the automotive industry in general to know that there are probably a lot more men working in that sector than women.
I'm always intrigued by women who've chosen to work in this industry and their stories of how things have changed over the years. The women I met in Chicago, Betty Naas and Kelly Krueger-Huhra, each have more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. They said that in those years there's been a culture shift away from the boyish bad manners that used to occur, moving to a much more gender-accepting atmosphere. Betty said that as a female engineer, she's often felt that she's had to prove herself more than her male counterparts. Once her colleagues knew she was good at her job, however, the extra scrutiny usually faded.
It's good to hear that things have gotten better for women in this line of work, but there's still more that can be done to help our sisters out. Both Betty and Kelly said they'd like to see more woman-to-woman mentoring throughout the industry, saying they hope it would help women advance in their careers at the same rate as men. When they said this, I had visions of a spa weekend where auto-industry women chat over lattes and pedicures, cheering each other on while solving all the car-business woes. One stereotype forward, two steps back�
Seriously, though — kudos to these women for the inroads they've made. My chat with them reminded me that in this world where I tell my daughter she can be anything she wants to be, that's true because someone has paved the way for her. Women running for president, women thriving as CEOs, women engaging in vibrant careers at the Normal, Ill., Mitsubishi plant — all prove that girl power is alive and well. And that, my friends, should be normal.
User Comments
Um yeah Allen, that’s what they’re trying to say. That’s it exactly.
Wow, Allen. Sounds like you need a day at the spa and someone to give you a hug. From Mother Proof to you, HUG!!!
Hope that helped…
I love men.
For the record Sara (and everybody else) . . . I am a man. I’m just sayin’. ;oP
I believe the largest sexual harassment case in U.S. history is the one from Diamond-Star Motors in Normal, IL.
Woman-to-woman mentoring? What does the gender matter? I thought that was the idea here. Genderless.
Yes, man hating and “women over all” should definitely be normal. No man’s contributions to anything deserve special write ups, even the fact the womens movement, at start-up, received significant support from a man.
Nope, hopefully one day all white males will be eliminated, all of us are worthless morons who do nothing but oppress all women and all minorities.