Women In Automotive Design

By: Nick H.

Stereotypically, men have more often than not been the ones holding jobs within the engineering field. However, the social expectations of women in the workplace are changing, and with this change, comes women helping to design the latest and greatest in automotive design. CNN looked into what women have been contributing lately, and why women do not play a bigger role in automotive design. The article can be found here.


Accura's NSX supercar is easily a car that can compete with modern day sport vehicles. Despite the very masculine appearance, the exterior of the vehicle was actually designed by a women. Many would be surprised to hear this, as the large majority of men hold the lead position in the exterior design of cars. The editor of Motor Trend Magazine was quoted on the topic saying "good design is good design. It transcends gender and everyone knows it when they see it". This begs the question; why are more women not involved in the automotive workplace if gender does not effect the end product?


From day one, women are groomed to play with barbies over trucks, and wear pretty dresses over hard working blue jeans and boots. These social norms cause women to believe that they cannot grow up to be an engineer like men can. This answers the question; Women are not as involved in automotive design because they are groomed from a young age to be more interested in other topics.


There are many companies looking to get girls more involved in engineering from a young age. The video to the left displays a commercial from GoldieBlox promoting children's toys. These toys, specifically meant for girls, help young engineering brains flourish. They include building blocks, gears, and other pieces of modern day machines. Commercials like this are revolutionary. They are promoting women in engineering in future generations. Steps like this need to be taken by all companies in order to ensure that the talent and creativity that can come from women, just as equally as men, may not be wasted before it has a chance to positively impact automotive design.



Source Information: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/24/autos/female-car-designers/ 
Rosie Picture: https://alikeapp.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/rosie2.png?w=266&h=202 
Acura NSX: http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/acura-nsx-front.jpg?itok=RIaszNEY 
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIGyVa5Xftw