How to empower women in manufacturing
For over 40 years Apple Rubber has been supplying the medical device sector with seals and sealing devices. The company recognises is standing in the industry and the responsibility it has towards gender issues in the workplace.
Between the sexual harassment cases highlighted by the media within the last year and the increased awareness that movements like the Women’s March and #TimesUp brought, saying that women’s issues are definitely on the national radar. Within manufacturing however, there is still room for improvement: in 2016 women made up 47% of the American labor force, but only 29% of manufacturing employees.
Deloitte reported these statistics, calling women in US manufacturing one of the “largest pools of untapped talent.”
Ensuring that women have equal employment opportunities in hiring decisions is not enough. On her presidential campaign trail, Hillary Clinton talked about how whether we do it subconsciously, there is still this built-in questioning about women’s executive ability.
Having a corporate culture that empowers women starts with leaders.
1. Invest in family benefits for the company.
Many working women still experience conflicting pressures from both their family and career. Creating a company culture reflective of female employees struggling with this issue will be an advantage.
Family benefits for manufacturing employees could include a range of programs: paid maternity or paternity leave, on-site care for young children, and flexible scheduling.
Scientific research supports that these programs are helpful to a woman’s overall potential as an employee: one study showed that women who took maternity leave longer than 12 weeks had lower rates of depression symptoms and better overall mental health than those who took shorter leaves.
2. Change the perception of women in manufacturing at your business.
No matter how far we’ve come as a nation with empowering women, one female engineer still talks about how she expects the surprised looks on her male peers’ faces when she walks onto a construction site. Stigma remains around the female presence in male-dominated fields like manufacturing and engineering.
Businesses can work to shift the perception of women’s roles in manufacturing. A large part of bridging this gender gap is educating the next generation of manufacturers. Your company can create an internship program for female candidates, to encourage women’s participation and secure their presence around the plant.
Having women in leadership roles has an effect on corporate culture. Interns and new hires notice how a company encourages the professional advancement of its women, and veteran female workers are motivated by the success of their peers in executive positions. This can be promoted by requiring gender parity amongst the candidates for an internal promotion.
3. Have a no-tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination.
This sends a strong message. A true zero tolerance policy involves immediate termination for any individual found guilty of any harassment charges brought against them. It requires investing in an HR system, capable of following up initial claims. These employees must be able to observe principles of confidentiality and discretion, and include protection of those who file a report.
Another aspect of this would be having a secure enough dynamic between managers and employees so an individual feels comfortable enough to report a serious problem, and that doing so will not damage their career path.
4. Sponsoring woman-to-woman mentorship programs
Since manufacturing is defined as a male-dominated industry, another way to empower women would be to offer opportunities for them to support each other.
Mentorship programs offer employees the opportunity to share experiences. Studies of mentorship between women in engineering showed that these programs reduced anxiety in participants, and increased self- assurance and motivation.
Leadership support of these programs is important because it develops the self-efficacy of women in an industry where they are underrepresented. Depending on the gender ratio of your manufacturing business and the several departments within it, a woman may feel like she is her own support system. Mentoring programs act to supplement this.
5. Continue to improve your manufacturing technology
Does this even have anything to do with women in manufacturing? Well yes, once you consider that traditionally women were limited in their asset to the industry because of the amount of physical work required. Heavy lifting is one of the most common reasons for needing a man to occupy a labor role.
“Advanced manufacturing is about using technology and not so much physical work,” says Millie Ramirez, a production supervisor at Carey Manufacturing, a company that is breaking the manufacturing mold because women outnumber men on the factory floor.
Modern machinery more so relies on machine operations to get the job done rather than physical labor. If heavy lifting may still be required list qualifications in your job posting so that capable women can apply.