5 Ceiling-Shattering Women To Inspire You

We don't like to label professions as "men's" or "women's." They're not clothing departments, after all — they're careers. And, in our opinion, both deserve some crossover. Yet, somewhere down the line, careers in technical- and mathematic-based fields became a bit of a boys' club. And, while the women who worked in them killed it in quality, quantity just didn't compare. Thankfully, this is no longer the first season of Mad Men, and things have been shaken up big time.

Now — as one Pew study indicates — with almost equal parts men and women millennials breaking into the workforce and the gender pay gap (though still in existence) closing more each year, we're taking a moment to celebrate the women taking the road less traveled. Powerful, focused, and smart as a whip, these five ladies ahead are examples of what it means to shatter the glass ceiling. And, in the process, they're changing the way we think about careers in technology, venture capitalism, and automotive design — including Hot Wheels — forever.