Is there a Gender Gap at Your Car Dealership?

If you believe that employee credentials matter more than gender and you make it a practice to hire women for sales positions at your dealership, you deserve some kudos for that because, according to the 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Annual Workforce Study, the percentage of women in sales, or managerial positions is dismally low at just 8 percent. In fact, women make up only 18.5 percent of the overall workforce at car dealerships.

The Auto Industry Wants More Women Dealers

The NADA stats are low, but there are efforts being made within the auto industry to lessen the gender gap at car dealerships. Initiatives such as General Motor’s GM Women’s Retail Network, started in 2001, has been getting good results. Director Celeste Briggs, said, “Our goal is to attract women into automotive retail careers such as dealers, general managers and employees to create more gender balance and to create a pathway for women to become dealers.” As of August 2015, 230 GM dealerships are women-owned.

However, it’s still very much a man’s world when it comes to buying, selling and servicing cars. That doesn’t mean that women are any less capable than men to successfully do the job. They may, however, be less inclined to work for a dealership that demands long hours and pay through commissions.

Closing the Dealership Gender Gap

There are ways auto dealerships can buck the norm and close the gender gap by attracting more women to apply for jobs. Flexible work hours, set salaries rather than commission-based pay, and/or job-sharing arrangements are some suggestions to consider, especially for qualified women with families, for example.

More importantly, you want high-performing team players, regardless of gender, working to bring in the sales at your auto dealership.