{"id":2168,"date":"2025-08-31T23:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T23:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/?p=2168"},"modified":"2025-09-03T23:04:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T23:04:36","slug":"female-firsts-in-automotive-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/auto-industry\/female-firsts-in-automotive-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Female Firsts in Automotive History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Being the &#8216;first&#8217; in any endeavor represents a breakthrough moment \u2013 someone or something has crossed a boundary that had not been crossed before. The celebration of firsts suggests possibilities \u2013 something that was once considered impossible or off-limits can now be achieved. However, acknowledgement as a groundbreaker also carries the weight of expectations. An individual\u2019s success or failure can influence how others in the same role or field are perceived. While this phenomenon exists in all fields of endeavor, it especially relevant for those whose \u201cfirsts\u201d challenge existing power structures and societal norms. Although attention to female automotive firsts may diminish the achievements of those who follow, the determination and tenacity of women who were able to succeed in a culture in which they were not welcomed should not be disregarded.\u00a0As Nanette Braun, of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, exclaims, \u201cas long as women face barriers, it\u2019s important to celebrate first-time achievements to show other women that such accomplishments are possible&#8221; (qtd in Morgan).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"677\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/images.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2173\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/images.jpeg 677w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/images-300x201.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 677px) 100vw, 677px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joan Newton Cuneo &#8211; first female star of motorsports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It is not surprising, therefore, that in automotive history, many of the celebrated women are \u2018firsts.\u2019 Bertha Benz was the first person, man or woman, to engage in a long-distance, internal-combustion-engine, automobile trip. Alice Ramsey was the first woman to drive across the US in an automobile. The \u2018first female star of motorsports\u2019 was a title bestowed on Joan Newton Cuneo for her racing acumen. Other female racers have also been honored as firsts \u2013 Louise Smith is regarded as the \u2018first lady of racing;\u2019 Betty Skelton was known as the \u2018first lady of firsts.\u2019 Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify at Indianapolis; Lyn St James was the first woman to be awarded the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Not only was Sarah Fisher the first woman drive for her own team, but was the first female owner to earn an IndyCar victory. The first woman to win an IndyCar race was Danica Patrick. Due to her record breaking accomplishments, Shirley Muldowney is often referred to as the &#8216;First Lady of Drag Racing.&#8217; The three Force sisters \u2013 Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney, hold a collection of drag racing firsts. Other firsts include Nellie Goins, the first African American woman to succeed in Funny Car racing, and Cheryl Linn Glass, the first Black woman to race professionally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"585\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/120414_72b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/120414_72b.jpg 585w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/120414_72b-300x185.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Betty Skelton &#8216;First Lady of Firsts&#8217;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Female firsts are also noted in the auto industry. Helene Rother was the first woman to enter the field of automotive interior design at General Motors.&nbsp;&nbsp;Audrey Hodges Moore is recognized as the first full-time designer at an automotive company. The first female industrial designer at Studebaker was Helen Dryden. Betty Thatcher Oros was the first female exterior automotive designer on record. In more recent history, there is no more prominent \u2018first\u2019 than Mary Barra, the first woman to serve as CEO of a US automotive manufacturer. Whatever their automotive endeavor, these female firsts stood out as exceptional. They were women that through daring,&nbsp;perseverance, and a little bit of moxie, broke barriers and emerged victorious despite incredible odds. Exceptional women in history, notes Helen Antrobus, are those who lived and worked outside the stereotypical gender norms of the time. They are those &#8220;who subverted the conventional role of women, who shouted loud enough to be heard&#8221; (56).In automotive history, they are celebrated as pioneers, female heroes, and invaders of the male domain. They appear as long distance adventurers, auto industry interlopers, and motorsport legends.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Cheryl_Linn_Glass_with_sprint_car_1980_Ebony_Magazine_RESIZED_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2170\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Cheryl_Linn_Glass_with_sprint_car_1980_Ebony_Magazine_RESIZED_2.jpg 900w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Cheryl_Linn_Glass_with_sprint_car_1980_Ebony_Magazine_RESIZED_2-300x204.jpg 300w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Cheryl_Linn_Glass_with_sprint_car_1980_Ebony_Magazine_RESIZED_2-768x523.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cheryl Linn Glass &#8211; First Black Female Professional Racer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However as a category of female success, the \u2018exceptional woman\u2019 both hinders and helps how women are considered in automotive history. The exceptional label can imply rarity rather than equality; it can suggest an individual\u2019s accomplishments are unusual because of her gender, thus reinforcing the idea that success is the norm for men but not for women. It can give the impression that what a particular woman has accomplished cannot be easily duplicated by others; that she is, in fact, an anomaly, an outlier, a recipient of extraordinary circumstances, relationships, opportunities, coincidences, or luck. It can reinforce gender stereotypes, upholding the idea that women don\u2019t belong in certain areas, and that those who succeed must be &#8216;special&#8217; rather than talented or learned or skilled; any shortcomings can be generalized as evidence that &#8216;women aren\u2019t suited&#8217; for the role. It can be condescending, as though the person\u2019s gender is more noteworthy than what she has accomplished. It can isolate rather than normalize, thereby slowing broader acceptance and inclusion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"558\" height=\"455\" src=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/46067392_10213723331939432_8973028082617155584_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2171\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/46067392_10213723331939432_8973028082617155584_n.jpg 558w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/46067392_10213723331939432_8973028082617155584_n-300x245.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 558px) 100vw, 558px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Audrey Hodges Moore &#8211; first full time female automotive designer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>However, the importance of female representation in automotive history cannot be underestimated. Research focusing on women\u2019s participation within male-dominated environments repeatedly demonstrates how one woman\u2019s success can serve as motivation and inspiration for those that follow (Lockwood et al). Asking \u201cDo Female \u2018Firsts\u2019 Still Matter\u201d in the US judicial system, Frick and Onwuachi-Willig note how the firsts of female judges all over the nation not only held important symbolic meaning for the advancement of women, but also \u201chelped to change societal perceptions about who is and should be a judge\u201d (1531). Female representation is considered crucial to the retention and recruitment of women in male-centric STEM fields. Write Drury et al, \u201cfemale role models assist in both of these efforts by improving women\u2019s performance and sense of belonging in STEM\u201d (265). One of the barriers that perpetuates women\u2019s exclusion from Formula One, argues O. Howe, is a lack of \u2018representation and (in)visibility\u201d (454).&nbsp;The younger generations need to \u201csee it to be it,\u201d Howe argues. \u201cIf a team were required to have a woman on their team, it could provide inspiration for the next generation of women race drivers [\u2026]\u201d (460).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"633\" height=\"401\" src=\"https:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dtw-female-design-pioneers-008-helene-rother-01-autoblog-com-e1628690362693.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2172\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dtw-female-design-pioneers-008-helene-rother-01-autoblog-com-e1628690362693.jpg 633w, http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dtw-female-design-pioneers-008-helene-rother-01-autoblog-com-e1628690362693-300x190.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Helene Rother &#8211; first female designer at General Motors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Research, notes <em>Forbes<\/em> contributor Margie Warrell, demonstrates that \u201crole models have an amplified benefit for women due to the gender biases, institutional barriers and negative stereotypes women have long had to contend with across a wide swathe of professional domains.\u201d As Warrell concurs,&nbsp;\u2018\u201dseeing is believing\u201d. In terms of automotive history, attention to the firsts of exceptional women has the&nbsp;potential to inspire young women to think about a future as a designer, engineer, racer, owner, or even, perhaps, CEO.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Helen Antrobus. \u201cAnonymous was a Woman: Collecting Cultures at the People\u2019s History Museum.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Anonymous Was a Woman: A Museum and Feminist Reader<\/em>, ed. Jenna C. Ashton (Cambridge: Museums Etc Limited).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Benjamin J. Drury, John Oliver Siy, and Sapna Cheryan. \u201cDo Female Role Models Benefit Women? The Importance of Differentiating Recruitment From Retention in STEM.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Psychological Inquiry<\/em>&nbsp;22 2011, 265.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amber Fricke &amp; Angela Onwuachi-Willig. \u201cDo Female \u2018Firsts\u2019 Still Matter? Why They Do for Female Judges of Color.\u201d&nbsp;<em>2012 Michigan State Law Review<\/em>, 1531.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olivia Howe, \u201cHitting the Barriers &#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;Women in Formula 1 and W Series Racing,\u201d&nbsp;<em>European Journal of Women\u2019s Studies&nbsp;<\/em>20, no. 3 (2022): 454.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Penelope Lockwood et al. \u201cTo Do or Not to Do Using Positive and Negative Role Models to Harness Motivation.\u2019&nbsp;<em>Social Cognition<\/em>&nbsp;22 (4) 2004: 422-450.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gwen Morgan. \u201cThe Missing Story Behind Women\u2019s First-Time Accomplishments.\u201d&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3040369\/the-missing-story-behind-womens-first-time-accomplishments?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">Fastcompany.com<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;Jan 1, 2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Margie Warrell. \u201cSeeing is Believing: Female Role Models Inspire Girls to Think Bigger.\u201d <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/margiewarrell\/2020\/10\/09\/seeing-is-believing-female-role-models-inspire-girls-to-rise\/\">Forbes.com<\/a><\/em> Oct 9, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being the &#8216;first&#8217; in any endeavor represents a breakthrough moment \u2013 someone or something has crossed a boundary that had not been crossed before. The celebration of firsts suggests possibilities \u2013 something that was once considered impossible or off-limits can now be achieved. However, acknowledgement as a groundbreaker also carries the weight of expectations. An&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,44],"tags":[43],"class_list":["post-2168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-auto-industry","category-car-chicks","tag-automotive-history"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Female Firsts in Automotive History - Women &amp; Cars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Female firsts in automotive history - motorsports and auto industry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/auto-industry\/female-firsts-in-automotive-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Female Firsts in Automotive History - Women &amp; 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