Motoring has felt like a man’s world for as long as many of us can remember, with men dominating roles across the industry. At the last count, just 0.04% of mechanics in the were females, just six women have got behind the wheel for a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, and a mere 2% of taxi drivers are women.
To mark International Women’s Day, USwitch decided to look into the impact this has had on women’s confidence around driving and delve into the history books to find out the true role women have played throughout motor history.
- 1915, Wilma K Russey: The first female NYC taxi driver
- 1917, Charlotte Bridgewater
- 1942, Hedy Lamarr:
- 1956, Dr Gladys West: Created the basis of the GPS
- 2005, Michelle Christensen: Became the first female exterior car designer
- 2008, Danica Sue Patrick: The most successful female racing driver
- 2014, Mary T Barra: Appointed the first female CEO of a major global automotive company
- 2019, Alexandra Hirschi: Named one of the top 30 most influential women in the Arab world
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