Quick. How many of your co-workers are women? One? Two?

In our male-dominated industry, it's been unusual to find many women, except perhaps in clerical positions. But now, like other industries, auto recycling is beginning to open up to women in nontraditional roles -- as owners, dismantlers, and in sales and marketing, to name a few. Even so, this industry is sometimes a difficult one for women, who -- because of our longstanding reliance on men -- often don't receive the respect they deserve. If you've ever heard the familiar question, "Is there a man I can talk to?," then you understand.

This is the story of five women, who among others, continue to prevail and move forward in this typically male industry. These women have made their mark on their own merit-and not because of, or in spite of, their gender.

Annette Adelsberger

When Annette Adelsberger started in this industry, she knew nothing about cars except how to "fill 'em up and drive 'em" -- that was it. Now owner of AA Auto in Little Rock, Ark., Annette has 15 years of experience under her belt and is an expert in auto salvage.

Formerly a clothes buyer for a major department store, Annette started AA Auto with the leftover parts from her husband's repair shop. Today, her husband only buys the cars for AA Auto, and Annette does the rest with her staff. "I do whatever's required. If I need to load a truck or jump on the forklift, I do it."

"We really cater to women here," Annette said. "I think most women buying car parts get taken advantage of. No one's educated them about a salvage yard. So, any time a woman calls for a part, we really try to educate her."

And whenever a man calls to ask for "someone who knows something," Annette finds it humorous. She passes him on to one of the men, who invariably passes him back to Annette for some key information. "And they'll say, 'Why did they turn me back over to you?' And I'll say, 'You're not going to believe it, but I actually know something!'"

Arlene Kramer

If you were on the road in Grand Island, Neb., about 30 years ago, you might have seen Arlene Kramer -- now vice president of Kramer's Auto Parts -- driving a truck filled with scrap iron. You probably would have noticed her because she was pregnant. "Back then, you didn't see women in trucks," said Arlene, "much less driving them pregnant."

Since she and her husband started the business, Arlene's experienced her share of male chauvinism. "When men call for car parts, they would say, 'Let me speak to someone who knows something,' or they'd come in and say, 'Don't you have any men here?' A lot of men think because I'm a woman, I don't know anything. If they can dicker out of it, they sure try."

With her two daughters in the business, Arlene thinks people are used to calling Kramer's and getting a woman. "Women who come in for parts seem to like it better that somebody is on their level and can talk to them."

Are men becoming more accepting of women in the industry? Perhaps, notes Arlene. She tells the story of a man who came into their shop. "I don't know where all the guys were. This man saw these women were helping him, and he said, 'Is this thing run by all women?' And I just looked at him and said, 'Yep.'"

Kate Granger

Kate Granger loves this business for the challenge it provides. A bookkeeper for Craig Automotive in Beaufort, Miss., Kate was soon moved to the counter when her boss realized her potential. Now she does just about everything, except the extremely physical work of pulling parts off cars.

"Probably 90 percent of the people in this business are male chauvinists," Kate said, "and it's weird because 90 percent of them have women working for them." For example, when women in her shop try to tap into the nationwide telephone circuit they're often greeted with silence. "You pick up this phone and wait for people to stop talking and then ask for your part. Well, every time I ask, no one will answer me. And when they call for our shop, and a woman answers, they won't say anything. They'll wait for my boss, who's a man, to pick up, and then they'll talk. Of course, there are some women on the line who are well known and answered, but these women have been on it for years."

Kate doesn't consider herself a women's libber, but she does believe she has a right to do a "man's" job. "I think if a man wanted to do a woman's job, he wouldn't have anywhere near the hassles that a woman has trying to do a man's job. A woman has a lot more stairs to climb."

Sherri Heckenast

At the tender age of 21, Sherri Heckenast is sales manager for the wholesale division of A Reliable Auto Parts in Blue Island, Ill. Sherri left college to help her family run the business when her father had a quadruple bypass two years ago.

Relatively new to the industry, Sherri experiences her share of hassles -- which she overcomes. "Every day, I get customers who ask for 'parts.' When I tell them they've reached 'parts,' they ask if they can talk to one of the guys on the counter. I'll say, go ahead." Sherri acknowledges that it's the same in her personal life, when she drives her race car. "It's a real challenge, but you deal with it."

Said Sherri, "The industry as a whole is opening up to women, but not really in sales. It's been a man's business for so long, and I don't think it's going to change any time soon."

"I personally would hire a qualified woman, rather than a man, to work with me in sales. Sales depends on personality. Anybody can do it; it's the personality that counts."

Karen Shirley

After 23 years in the business, Karen Shirley regards DC Wrecking as one of her kids. As manager of the Lubbock, Texas, company started by her father, Karen has put as much effort into it as she has with her family. Over the years, she has changed DC Wrecking from a junk yard to a modernized recycling shop.

Now accepted in the industry, Karen remembers how it felt when she entered the business at age 17. "I used to look at my daughter, who would get so aggravated when customers asked to speak to a man, and think, that's me all over again, years ago, when I didn't have the confidence in myself." Confidence, and knowledge, she insists, are key to not being intimidated.

Today, Karen has a knack for dealing with people who ask to speak to a man. "I'll say, 'Well there's not a man available right now, can I try and help you?' If that doesn't work, I'll tell them I've been in this industry for over 20 years, and if I can't help them, I'd be glad to switch them to one of the gentlemen. And generally, they come around. If I'm a good enough salesperson, I make the sale."

"Of course, when one of the countermen calls me over as the manager to talk with a customer who originally asked for a man, and I see their reaction. That's when it's fun."

Are these women an anomaly, or part of a future trend? If auto recycling follows other industries, it's likely the latter.

Arlene agrees. "There's a lot of good women who know what they're doing and I think that adds to the industry. There's a lot there if you want to do it."

Said Annette, "I talk to people all across the country, and I'm finding I speak to more women every day now. There are more in sales, more in management, and a lot more getting into the business with their husbands."

Said Kate, "Women who want to get into the industry shouldn't let anything get in their way. But there can't be any self-doubt that that's what they want to do. Chauvinism is not as bad as it was, but it's still there."