Celebrate Women’s History Month with Icons of the Automotive Industry

It’s finally March, which means it’s time to celebrate Women’s History Month. There are iconic female figures in every industry—including many in the automotive field.

In addition to March being Women’s History Month, the 8th is International Women’s Day. To celebrate both occasions, we’re going to pay respect to eight of the most influential women in the automotive industry.

Eight Iconic Women of the Automotive Industry

Since the dawn of the automobile, women have played a major role in shaping and building the auto industry. There are countless female leaders, inventors, and visionaries who deserve recognition.

But since we can’t list them all here, we’re going to honor eight women—as a nod to International Women’s Day being on March 8th—who have changed lives and continue to inspire through their work.

Bertha Benz

Engineer Karl Benz is often credited with bringing the first automobile to life in 1886. But in reality, the Benz-patent Motorwagen was a joint effort between Karl and his wife, Bertha Benz. The two were partners, with Bertha taking charge of the business side of the venture and providing most of the initial funding.

Although Karl was a great inventor, he wasn’t the best businessman. So, in an attempt to market the Patent Motorwagen, Bertha went on a 66-mile drive across Germany, drawing attention from onlookers along the way. Her efforts went a long way towards getting the general public interested in Karl’s invention.

Bertha was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2016. She was also proclaimed an honorary senator by the Technical University of Karlsruhe on her 95th birthday. 

Margaret Wilcox

If you’re like most people, you probably take the heater inside of your car for granted. But automotive heating systems didn’t exist until Margaret Wilcox came up with the idea in 1893.

Wilcox’s design routed hot air from the engine compartment into the interior. Even though the heater had no way to regulate the hot air temperature (it was on full blast all of the time), the concept laid the groundwork for today’s automotive heating systems.

Helene Rother

When Helene Rother Ackernecht joined General Motors’ interior styling team in 1942, she was one of the first females to work as an automotive designer. A few years later, she opened her own industrial design studio, which attracted the attention of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation.

Rother went on to design interiors for use in Nash-brand vehicles. She worked alongside the famed designer Pinin Farina on the Nash Ambassador, Statesman, Rambler, and Airflyte models. Many attribute Rother with transforming the basic interior designs of the time into something more elegant and user-friendly.

In 1948, Rother also became the first woman to address the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). She was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2020.

Mary Anderson 

Whenever you use your car’s windshield wipers to get a clear view of the road ahead, you have Mary Anderson to thank. As the story has it, Anderson came up with the idea for the windshield wiper in 1902, shortly after noticing her streetcar driver continually having to clear his windscreen of ice on a chilly day.

Anderson’s “window cleaning device” was operated via a handle inside the vehicle. The invention was undeniably useful, but as an independent woman without a husband, Anderson found it challenging to find manufacturing firms to buy her product at the time.

Although mechanical windshield wipers were commonplace by 1913, Anderson never profited from their invention.

Denise McCluggage

Denise McCluggage was born with fuel running through her veins. Although her first job out of college was working as a reporter outside of the automotive realm, she began competing as a professional race car driver shortly after. McCluggage took home first-place trophies at many famous motorsports venues throughout her racing career.

At the same time, she put her journalistic skills to work, helping to found and edit America’s first motorsports weekly, called the Competition Press. That publication eventually morphed into one of the most well-known automotive news outlets—Autoweek.

Leilani Münter

Even if you don’t follow sports, you’ve probably heard of Danica Patrick, the famous female NASCAR driver. But you might not have heard of Leilani Münter—a female racecar driver who also happens to be an environmental activist.

During Münter’s racing career in NASCAR and ARCA, she has recorded 9 top-five, 21 top-ten, and 37 top-fifteen finishes in 61 starts. What’s even more impressive, though, is Münter’s role in environmental activism. Discovery’s Planet Green named her the number one eco athlete in the world, thanks to her efforts advocating for animal rights and environmental change.

You’ll often see Münter’s race car decorated in decals that have an environmental message. She also adopts an acre of rainforest for each race she runs.

Lisa Drake

It’s no secret that electric vehicles (EVs) are the future of automotive transportation. Lisa Drake has had an impressive career at Ford, holding a variety of high-level positions, including Vice President of Global Purchasing, Chief Operating Officer of North America—and now, Vice President of EV Industrialization.

Drake has an engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University and previously worked as Ford’s e Global Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Chief Engineer. When she held that position, she was accepted into the Automotive Hall of Fame and given a Young Leadership and Excellence Award. 

Mary Barra

One of the most influential women in the world—in any industry—is the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors, Mary Barra. She has served as CEO of GM since 2014. During that time, Barra has helped the company move towards a zero-emissions future. Under Barra’s guidance, GM has invested billions in the development of electric vehicles and self-driving cars.

Barra is the first woman to head one of America’s “big three” auto companies. She introduced the Chevy Bolt as GM’s first mass-produced fully electric vehicle, and one of her primary goals is to make the brand’s entire lineup all-electric by 2035.

Tell Us About the Women You Admire

There are women everywhere making a difference in all aspects of the automotive industry. If you know of someone you’d like to tell us about, please share your story in the comments below!