Boy's Club

I work in the auto industry. Not for one of the big 3 (or 6, or 2, or whatever it is these days...) but our clients are primarily automotive. And the good ol' boys club is still alive and well and as times get tougher...the boys club grows stronger.

Google "influential women in the automotive industry" and you get "Ask Patty." Not that there's anything wrong with Patty, but a chatty blog on car buying advice is now the zenith of automotive career success?

Thousands of high ranking women have left the automotive industry over the past several years and for an industry that sells 65% of its products to women (and they influence as much as 80% of all vehicle purchases) this is like putting a woman at the helm of Playboy magazine. (wait, that actually worked out pretty well, didn't it?)

At my company, if you are not a "car guy" (that's a literal term that's used all the time) you are not afforded the same respect. Oh, if you need an event planned or a contest or incentive trip organized, of course...call the women! But if you want to discuss marketing a new vehicle or launching a new car company...well, that's where the boys are.