Chrysler Group Committed To Promoting Women’s Issues.

Chrysler Group President and CEO Dieter Zetsche told an audience of more than 500 people at the Women’s Economic Club lunch today at Detroit’s Cobo Hall that the company is committed to promoting women’s careers and women’s issues.

“We must work to be the benchmark,” in hiring and promoting women, said Zetsche.

Zetsche said that nearly 47 percent of the total U.S. workforce is comprised of women and that women influence nearly 80 percent of all vehicle purchases. The Chrysler Group sells about 40 percent of all its cars and trucks to women.

“With statistics like these, it’s clear that Chrysler has to take better advantage of the unique capabilities of women,” Zetsche said.

Zetsche told the audience that about 20 percent of the professional, management and executive ranks at the Chrysler Group are female, including two senior vice presidents and four plant managers.

The company is also working to address issues that are important to women by offering benefits that will help families. These include the Work/Family Account, which offers eligible employees up to $5,000 to be used for expenses related to child care, adoption, elder care or post-secondary education. He also cited the joint program developed with the UAW called “The Alliance for Children and Working Families”; it was set up to improve the quality of child care in the metro Detroit area, and includes summer camp, after-school programs and a sick-children program.

Zetsche said the company is also promoting women’s issue outside the company, through major sponsorships and support for organizations like the Global Summit of Women, the Michigan Women’s Foundation, the Women’s Business Conference and the National Council of Negro Women. The company has also set aside funds for women’s merit scholarships at 20 universities and colleges for the past 20 years.

“All that is good,” concluded Zetsche, “but not good enough. And our pledge to you is that we’re going to work harder than ever to promote women’s careers, and women’s issues, at the Chrysler Group.”