“Manufacturing faces a serious skills gap. Part of this gap is the underrepresentation of women in the industry.” — The Manufacturing Institute
Did you know that while women make up approximately 50% of the labor force, they make up only about 24% of the manufacturing labor force?
Manufacturers are scrambling to fill their need for skilled professionals, and the women of the future will fill a big part of that. In 2013, approximately 600,000 manufacturing jobs were unfilled because companies couldn’t find qualified workers to fill them.
In the coming years, many manufacturers will turn to women to fill that need.
Manufacturing has been viewed as a “man’s industry” for many years. When most people think of the manufacturing industry, the picture they see is similar to images of the industrial revolution — dirty, unskilled and back breaking work.
Outdated and often wrong perceptions of manufacturing have impacted women’s desires to join the ranks of manufacturers.
A study from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute cited the perception of a male-favored culture as a key driver of women’s underrepresentation in the industry. There is a sense that historical gender bias excludes women from core managerial roles, such as production supervisors and operations managers, which are key to climbing the industry ladder.
The manufacturing industry today is no longer the picture of the male-dominated, outdated and back breaking work. Instead, companies are now turning to automation and technology, which has changed the nature of the work itself.
So why strive to add more women to your manufacturing plant? It’s simple. It’s good for business.
Since 2004, a series of studies by Catalyst – a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business – found that companies that achieve diversity in their management and on their corporate boards attain better financial results, on average, than other companies.
Catalyst points to many other studies that support these findings as well, including research at the Columbia Business School and the University of Maryland, which found that a higher proportion of women in senior management, not including the CEO, was associated with better firm performance, especially at organizations involved with innovation (source).
Many women are highly educated and can help fill the gap in skilled labor in the manufacturing sector. In 2013, approximately 600,000 manufacturing jobs were left unfilled because companies couldn’t find qualified workers to fill them.
The up-and-coming generation of women can help fill this gap as the perception of the industry changes.
Creating a company-wide environment that supports women can help you add women to your team. It’s cited that most often it’s women who pull other women into the manufacturing sector. In actuality, many of the jobs that are available to women in this sector are high paying, challenging and meaningful careers.
Create an environment that’s committed to adding (great) women to your team
Allow flexibility (for men and women) to take care of responsibilities outside of the workplace
Reframe your own perceptions of manufacturing as a man-driven environment
If you wanted to take it to the next level, check out Women in Manufacturing, an organization that celebrates, supports and expands the impact of women in the manufacturing sector.