Amanda Webb, Interim CEO, FixMyCar
Coming into an Automotive career I knew that the industry has been a bit male-dominated for a long time, but I was surprised at how often I am the only woman in the room. The automotive industry remains predominantly male-dominated, with women making up only 13.4% of workers in motor vehicle repair and 13% in senior roles within automotive retail. This gender disparity is worsening, as the overall share of women in the sector decreased from 19.6% in 2020/21 to 17.5% in 2022/23.
This imbalance harms the industry in several ways. It results in a loss of valuable talent and innovation, as under-representation means that diverse perspectives are not being fully utilised. Additionally, it creates barriers for female clients, with 62% feeling uneasy about visiting a garage alone, and 27% believe that technicians treat women differently than males.
Put simply, we need more women! It is clear from the statistics things won’t change by themselves but equally I see many key players in the industry actively encouraging women to join automotive, we need women to want to join. To address these issues, concrete actions are necessary to accelerate female inclusion in the automotive sector, particularly in maintenance roles.
Opening the door to female technicians
One of the sector’s big issues when it comes to increasing its female workforce is its image problem. Perception research from the Institute of the Motor Industry found that young people believe the automotive sector is very male-dominated and potentially misogynistic: no wonder only 4% of apprentices within it are female.
These fears are founded. A 2022 TechForce Foundation report interviewed female technicians from across the transportation industry and found 100% of female technicians who attended tech school experienced bias while pursuing their education. With 48% of garages witnessing recruitment of qualified staff as one of their biggest challenges facing 2025, it seems clear that tackling this issue and encouraging more women into the industry can only be a huge benefit
We must also consider employment structures and hiring practices. If there aren’t supportive maternity and paternity provisions, for example, or options for flexible working (women are seven times more likely than men to be out of work due to caring commitments), you risk becoming a revolving door for female employees.
FixMyCar prides itself on being a flexible employer. With our remote and hybrid working structure and flexible working options for employees, we intend to stay at the forefront of best practice for employee wellbeing. I am also proud to say women already represent 37% of our workforce, a number we aim to retain and grow as FixMyCar goes from strength to strength.
Steps towards better diversity within the automotive industry are being taken, but there is still a lot more to be done. One example of progress here is the work of The Automotive Council UK. Its members represent 99% of British vehicle manufacturing and half of the UK’s automotive workforce. The Council has launched the Diversity & Inclusion Charter to make the automotive workforce reflective of wider society – the first such collective commitment by any UK industrial sector.
Members have also pledged to increase representation of women within their workforce to reach a minimum of 30% by 2030.
But we must remember, it is not just about getting women in the door. Women also need to be able to progress within the industry, be equally celebrated for their work and have access to senior leadership positions, which is a challenge in many industries. Offering coaching and mentoring opportunities internally and supporting women to find them externally, interrogating gender promotion gaps and rigorously defining the way promotion decisions are made are all things business within the industry can do to support women.
Individual action
Industry-wide progress is essential. But women don’t need to wait for change to come from the top to forge a career in the automotive sector and auto repairs. One example is London’s first all-female garage, Spanners with Manners, which has become a magnet for female technicians and aims to create a warm, non-judgmental environment for all customers, but especially women. And it is not the only female-owned garage in the UK. Examples like these show there’s space and opportunities for growth for women in auto repairs, even as we’re currently in the minority.
Although our industry is missing out on female talent, progress is being made. All that said, I love being in the Automotive Industry, its high passion and high pace. It is collaborative and people know how to work hard and play hard.
To be successful in any environment in which you might find yourself in the minority, you still have to be accepting of the things which happen in that environment. Things will not change for one individual, which is why global movements like International Women’s Day are so important for driving collective change in industries like ours.
