Lack of Resources & Support in the WorkplaceWomen Aren’t Really That Unique

Hey Sue, let’s grab lunch,” Tom suggested to his former classmate and current co-worker. Sue and Tom were friends; they’d studied together, obtained the same degree, and started working at ABC Automotive exactly two years ago. Although some of the other guys picked on Sue constantly, Tom respected her skills – back in school, she had won several regional competitions and always scored the best grades in class.

“I can’t afford to take care of my family on $15 an hour.” Tom confided that he was looking for a different job. Imagine his surprise when Sue informed him that she had been hired at an hourly rate of $18! Tom’s mouth opened in shock: “I can’t believe they’re paying you more than me – whose dick did you suck?!”

OK, first off, let’s be extremely honest here: The likelihood that Sue would make more than Tom, regardless of her talents, is pretty damn slim (and the likelihood that a BJ could get her that type of raise is even more doubtful, even if she’s pretty skilled in that arena too) – but let’s look at the big picture.

Remember how 45% of surveyed automotive women said they’d move to a different industry if they were starting their careers today? Although a lack of diversity, equity and inclusion was the top reason they cited, work/life balance and lack of promotion opportunities rounded out the three most frequent reasons they’d leave (source).

In comparison, men’s top three reasons were work/life balance, low income, and poor working relationships. Low income, lack of promotion opportunities – that’s pretty aligned! And if you think about why DEI is so important to women – well, a lack of DEI sure doesn’t help our working relationships; being the only woman in a shop can feel pretty isolating…

So, really, aren’t men and women asking for the same things?

In fact, most of the resources women desire are the essentials that should be provided in any career: competitive pay, PTO, health insurance, and short-term disability insurance. Women are also looking for the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and to advance in an organization (preferably without being accused of trading sexual favors – those are not women’s only talents, thank ya very much!).

Creating a culture that promotes diversity will help the automotive and skilled labor trades industry improve the way it’s viewed by women. As we explore some of the utter horse manure that our ladies in automotive have been forced to contend with, step into each storyteller’s shoes and imagine this happening in your career –

Would YOU find the “status quo” acceptable?

“After graduating with my Automotive Collision Refinishing certification, I landed my first body shop job in January 2011 – detailing cars for $8.25 an hour. During my interview, they questioned whether I was in a relationship; they didn’t want to hire a single woman who might cause problems by sleeping with the technicians. I also found out my male co-worker, who was still taking classes to achieve his certification, was making $9 an hour, 75 cents more than me! They eventually gave me a raise… but the damn audacity of even mentioning my relationship status and thinking they could get away with screwing me hourly – it was a slap in the face.”

• Former Autobody Technician--Kansas, 30 years old

Chasidy & Jayme’s Reaction

✍︎ Chasidy’s reaction: Ok, I had to Google it, I just had to – found a lot about how women (and men) are perceived differently by employers based on whether they’re married, but nothing about how marriage impacts their actual ability to perform their jobs to a high standard – can you believe it?! Seriously, if you’re that worried about your employees sleeping together, you probably shouldn’t hire single men either. Or you could just castrate them all – like you did to this woman’s paycheck!

2025: This is some serious bullshit right here. For so many reasons. But did ya know that most women won’t even apply to a job unless they meet 100% of the qualifications? Men will apply if they meet like 60%. Yet, women often make less than men in the same positions – men who are probably less qualified based on this data.

Women: We need to stop selling ourselves short and undervaluing our worth. I’m guilty of it too. Jayme actually helped me reset my prices a couple years ago when she pointed out that male writers with a fraction of my experience were charging two to three times my hourly rate! We deserve more, but no one is going to give it to us unless we start asking for (or demanding) it.

“But men have families to support, they’re the breadwinners, they’re the…” It’s 2021, fellas. Women have families to support too, and the ladies are also just as apt to bring home the bacon – which tastes a lot better when someone else cooks it, am I right?

The fact that 25% of women earn less than men doing the exact same job is appalling (source). In the recollection above, the difference was only 75 cents an hour, but looking at it proportionately – if a man made $30/hour, a woman would only make $27.30. That’s over $100 weekly – would you be able to pay all your bills if $400 of your income was stolen every month?

And women earning more doesn’t just benefit women; it benefits men too!

“Equal pay isn’t just a women’s issue; when women get equal pay, their family incomes rise and the whole family benefits.”

• Mike Honda

Of course, that one manager asking her about her relationship status is problematic, but at least it’s not widespread, right?

Uh… Think again. Over 50% of surveyed female automotive professionals reported being questioned about her family life, marital status or children during the interview process (source).

Although federal law does not explicitly prohibit discrimination based on marital status, it’s generally viewed as a sex discrimination matter. According to the EEOC, “Questions about marital status and number and ages of children are frequently used to discriminate against women… It is clearly discriminatory to ask such questions only of women and not men (or vice-versa).” Additionally, more than half of the individual states have passed laws prohibiting familial discrimination (source).

“A week after being hired, the shop owner told me he’d hesitated to hire me because he was afraid of being forced to deal with sexual harassment reporting. He didn’t doubt I could do my job, but he was worried about the possibility of his current guys harassing me in some way. He didn’t want to risk being fined or forced to fire his guys. He acted like it was completely logical, but it pissed me off that I nearly didn’t get a job because he wasn’t sure his guys could act like decent human beings. They only hired me because the other applicants had little to no experience. Eventually, someone with experience applied, and since he was willing to work for a dollar less than I made, they hired him as a painter, downgraded me to a prepper, and docked my pay $5 an hour. I left that week.”

• Autobody Painter--New Jersey, 23 years old

Chasidy & Jayme’s Reaction

✍︎Chasidy’s reaction: But, but, but…Why are women constantly held responsible for men’s bad behavior? How is it HER fault that they MIGHT harass her? If her mere presence excuses the way they act, that dynamic should work both ways, right? So, if someone’s face offends me, I’m completely justified in throat-punching them?! Sounds completely rational to me! 🙄 (In case you couldn’t HEAR my eyes rolling)

2025: FIRE THEM. Or better yet, stop hiring these asshats! If you are seriously worried that your employee is going to sexually harass a co-worker, he shouldn’t BE your fucking employee. Because if he’s going to treat someone he sees every day like that, how do you think he’s treating customers? Probably the same or worse… A fine is the least of your worries. Start being concerned about a lawsuit. Or getting junk-punched if say something that stupid to a lot of the women I know. And then you demoted her because a qualified man finally applied? Sounds like your work culture sucks, and that’s probably why you were “forced” to hire a woman in the first place. Sorry you’re a sack of shit.

Yep, you read that right! An employer’s decision about hiring someone was nearly impacted by the POSSIBILITY of someone else’s poor behavior. Is that a consideration for hiring all employees?

The concept of penalizing one person for someone else’s actions – well, I don’t think any of us would enjoy working in that type of environment! From a business perspective, if this employer hadn’t grown a pair, he would have missed out on a qualified employee in favor of employees with questionable behavior. Does that seem like sound business logic to you?

This scenario provides one clear example of the prevalence of gender discrimination in the industry. Unless this manager would have hesitated to hire a man for fear of sexual harassment, this is an obvious violation of the intent behind Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which protects employees from discrimination based on certain specified characteristics: race, color, national origin, sex, and religion.

Sharing the reasons for his indecision was even more insulting – he should have been worried about the possibility of someone else snagging a qualified candidate, given the ongoing tech shortage! As you’ll hear in Part 2, some people are more timid than others, and this woman could have easily decided that an automotive career wasn’t worth the hassle. We’re concerned… are you?

No matter your gender, being demoted with a pay reduction because someone else is willing to do your job cheaper – well, that’s pretty damn insulting, infuriating and an awful business practice if you’re looking to retain long-term employees, which increases ROI by the way. On average, female mechanics make nearly $5,000 less than men each year (source) as it is!

But there’s another resource in this story that must be addressed. We can all agree that employees need training – that’s mandatory, especially in an industry that advances as frequently as automotive. Sexual harassment training is just another type of training that is essential these days. Different states have varying requirements, but as an employer, you need to CYA (“cover your ass”).

For example, New Jersey does not require sexual harassment training for employees in the private sector; however, “in 2002 (Gaines v. Bellino), the New Jersey Supreme Court held that state courts should consider whether or not an employer made training available to supervisors and all employees when deciding whether or not an employer had been negligent in preventing sexual harassment under state law (source).”

Beyond that little tidbit, we’re going to skip right over that whole “sexual harassment thing” for now – it’s probably a good idea for us to get a little better acquainted before diving into that nightmarish topic (and the completely justified violence of our reactions)… but when you’re ready to jump in, be sure to check out Part 5 of Dirty Little Secrets!

“When the owner introduced me to the other techs during a job interview, the lead tech (who would be TRAINING me!) said, ‘You know this is a man’s world, and you don’t belong here, right?’ – Right in front of the boss. Who said nothing. I was speechless. I was hired, but the lead tech refused to teach me anything, and six months later, he quit because he ‘didn’t like where the shop’s headed.'”

• Mechanic, Michigan, 26 years old

Chasidy & Jayme’s Reaction

✍︎ Chasidy’s reaction: They’re lucky she was speechless! You know who shouldn’t have been speechless, though? Hey boss man – this was a perfect opportunity to advocate for change and to be a hero, a REAL MAN, by simply telling your employee, “Hey man, that’s not cool and doesn’t belong here.” WOW – how easy was that? (Pretty damn sexy too!)

2025: I remain flabbergasted that this “boss” didn’t stand up for what was right. I would 100% discourage my daughter from working in this type of environment. At least the trash took itself out, even if it did stink up the place for another six months. In various roles throughout my career, I’ve been trained by men and women. I’ve trained men and women. I’m thankful that I’ve never had this type of experience where anyone told me I didn’t belong in a position because of my gender. And hey, if this is a “man’s world,” I guess that explains why it’s so damn screwed up. Maybe it’s time to let women run things?!

The automotive industry is NOT a man’s world, yet it sure seems geared that way! Men and women may be equally capable, but they are different in some ways.

Let’s start with the obvious – our shape. Surprise! Women are built differently than men. Women have curves (and you’re welcome). But they are also built differently than one another. A large portion of female automotive workers are unable to wear standard uniforms because – you guessed it – they weren’t made for women! And when uniforms are specifically made for women, they never provide any pocket space(✍︎for those of you who’ve never worn women’s pants, the pockets typically possess space for precisely two Mentos and one migraine pill – which you’ll need if the “pocket” is really just a stitch that doesn’t even open. Like seriously? Who thought of that one, and what drugs were they on? I digress…).

Women are also typically smaller than men, so items like PPE should be ordered in multiple sizes. Then there’s stature – on average, women are shorter than men. Step stools are low-cost investments that allow women (and our vertically challenged brethren!) to reach things easily.

Thanks to tons of testosterone, men tend to be physically stronger than women as well – one of the factors that made the automotive and skilled labor trades industries prohibitive in the past. Luckily, modern manufacturers create and sell tools and equipment that make some of the job’s heavyweight activities less strenuous – neither the women nor the men that work in the shop need to break their backs!

“My trainer, who occupied the bay next to mine, called me a cunt – for no reason. I was obviously frustrated, but when I told the boss I wanted to swap bays, he told me, ‘We can’t rearrange the shop every time you have a bitchfit.’ When I got pissed off about that, he told me to ‘go bleed already.’ I reported him to the owner, and my bay got swapped, but eventually I just couldn’t handle the environment anymore, so I quit.”

• Mechanic, Ontario (Canada), 34 years old

Chasidy & Jayme’s Reaction

✍︎ Chasidy’s reaction: What the… OK, I’m not even offended by “cunt,” but it’s also never been thrown at me during a stressful workday! And I’d show him some blood – pouring out of his disrespectful mouth! (Y’all, I swear I’m not typically violent, but I absolutely fantasize about swinging on the perpetrators of these horror stories.) I can’t even imagine how unacceptable it’d be to joke about periods if men were the ones to get them – every. single. month. Seriously, have you noticed how y’all deal with a little cold?

2025: “I quit.” As I revisit this series, I’m disgusted at how often this was the only solution for these women – women who invested their time, energy, money, sweat, blood and tears into pursuing a career they thought they’d love. And it’s never “I quit because I couldn’t hack it. It was too tough. I didn’t know how to do the job.” They quit because they were treated like shit. They were subjected to all manners of harassment based on their lack of a penis. Guys, just because you have a dick, it doesn’t mean you have to BE a dick! 🍆

Toilet humor is always funny, at least to our inner 12-year-olds, but the bathroom situation in most automotive facilities is no laughing matter! Often, only men’s restrooms are available in the actual shop, leaving female technicians with a distance to hike, just to drop a deuce. Or if it’s a one-stall, gender-neutral bathroom, it’s filthy and stinky. (Seriously, what do y’all eat?! And no, it’s not her job to clean it.)

Another note: Women’s restrooms should be stocked with feminine hygiene products – that’s as essential as toilet paper, soap and paper towels. Air freshener would help as well – especially in a unisex restroom where everyone has to smell each other’s stankasses. (Ladies – this applies to you too; no one wants to sit on dried blood, so clean up after yourself. And this should go without saying, but stop flushing hygiene products and clogging the plumbing.)

There’s also a notable trend of women who struggle to advance in their careers or who are completely unable to do so. Over 40% of women in the automotive industry believe they’ve missed out on career advancement opportunities due to gender – “Women have been told they are not up for promotions because they have children and are therefore not able to commit enough time to the job. Or they’re told managers have fears that the woman soon will become pregnant and decide to leave the company, and so she won’t be considered for a promotion (source).”

For 64% of women (compared to 40% of men), the opportunity for career progression is extremely important, yet 70% of women believe minorities are underrepresented in leadership, and 91% believe the lack of leadership diversity results from industry bias towards men (source).

Leadership diversity is awesome for companies, though! “Studies have shown that companies with diverse leadership teams are eight times more likely to have better business outcomes, six times more likely to be innovative and agile, and 21% more likely to outperform on profitability when in the top quartile for gender diversity (source).” Sounds like there’s some missed opportunity when businesses fail to incorporate DE&I;!

“A supervisor wouldn’t allow me to pick up my 4-year-old son before daycare closed. ‘Can’t you just call him a cab or something?’ Then he sighed and muttered, ‘Men don’t have this problem.'”

• Automotive Service Technician--Ontario (Canada), 30 years old

Chasidy & Jayme’s Reaction

✍︎ Chasidy’s reaction: Men don’t have this problem?! As in men don’t have children or they would send them home in a cab – or is it possible that mothers more frequently get saddled with this responsibility? Still, I know a lot of fathers, and I don’t know a single one that would put their child in a damn taxi. As a parent, whether you’re a mother or a father – or anyone else who has taken on the duty and privilege of caring for a child – that kid is your top priority. We are biologically programmed to take care of our young! And someone who doesn’t? They’re probably a shitty person. So, unless all of your employees are shitty people (and why would you want that?), it sure appears that there’s a gap here that needs to be explored as an industry.

2025: Hell, I stress when my 21-year-old bonus kid Ubers anywhere; I track her cell phone the entire time! If someone suggested I put my TODDLER in a taxi, I would lose my shit. I barely let her travel with family members. And if her father was ever dumb enough to do something like that, OMG the problems he would have… How hard is it to understand that these little people are our #1 priority? They are 100% dependent on us. And any employer who doesn’t respect that can kiss my whole ass. I will choose my child over everyone and everything every single time.

Let’s backtrack and recap really quick – what was the one shared reason between men and women on why they’d choose a different career industry again? Exactly – work/life balance, and this resource is HUGE.

Face it: The J.O.B. is always going to come second to your employees’ family – and that’s the way it SHOULD be! Your business is your baby, but it’s not theirs. But when you show some consideration for the things that matter to them, your humanity and understanding boosts morale, and happy employees are better, more productive employees.

Childcare is a major concern, especially outside standard work hours – sound familiar? What if employers partnered with local daycare providers to provide low-cost after-hours care for employees’ children in exchange for discounted services? Or maybe hire a local college student to watch the whole group after hours on certain days?

Maybe that sounds insane, but let’s think about why people work in the first place. Sure, hopefully you enjoy the way that you earn your paycheck, but do you really do it simply for the sheer joy of working your ass off every day? Pretty sure no one would work 40+ hours each week WITHOUT the income. Most of us are doing what’s necessary to provide for our families – but wouldn’t we also like to enjoy the few spare hours that are allotted to us?

Flexible schedules would allow workers to run out during the day and work late – maybe for a dentist appointment, maybe to attend a child’s chorus performance, without judgment. Plenty of shops and other businesses have benefitted from allowing technicians to work four 10-hour shifts with great results – after all, a happy employee is a productive employee. By showing that you care about their other priorities, you’re increasing morale and creating an environment where employees want to work; you’re developing a culture they want to be part of.

But since we’re on the subject of families, let’s touch on some related topics. Pregnancy discrimination is illegal. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act forbids “discrimination based on pregnancy when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits, such as leave and health insurance, and any other term or condition of employment.”

With this in mind, a lot of folks get really hung up on women needing maternity leave. Maternity leave is just one small bullet point under the whole umbrella of short-term disability insurance, which covers women AND men when they’re out of work for a temporary disability, such as non-job-related injury or illness – including pregnancy. (To be clear, including one thing does not equate to excluding another). Short-term disability insurance belongs in every benefit package, right alongside health insurance, paid time off and retirement savings.

OK, what is the first Dirty Little Secret?

All employees in the automotive and skilled labor trades industries deserve fair compensation, time off, medical insurance, and short-term disability – at a bare minimum. Employers also owe them respect, training to help advance their skills, and the ability to progress at work in terms of promotions and raises.

A lack of resources is a major problem that impacts all employees, not just women. The desire for health insurance isn’t unique to women. The need for diversity in leadership isn’t unique to women. The objection to a lack of equity in compensation doesn’t only affect women. And the lack of inclusion hurts men just as much as it hurts women because it divides us, but by combining forces to demand these well-deserved benefits, our voices grow louder. We are stronger together, and we need to come together to insist that we all have the resources we need to excel at our jobs and in life.

What can you do?

First and foremost, keep asking for these basic needs from your employer and help push the industry as whole to solve this problem! You deserve it!

• Fair pay
• PTO, sick time
• Short Term Disability insurance (maternity leave)
• Health insurance
• Training/development- industry-specific, culture & diversity
• Uniforms
• Work/life balance

Resources

OpenSesameThis website offers a variety of virtual harassment training webinars as well as other HR resources. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionIf you’re experiencing pay discrimination, you can find information on how to file a complaint here. Xena Workwear and Torq’d Clothing These companies offer female-friendly work clothing options.