Fewer than 10% of the manufacturing workforce are female, a statistic that highlights the uneven balance of gender within the industry. Though this has increased slightly in recent years – in 2016, only 8% of the manufacturing workforce were female – something is putting women off diving into a manufacturing career.
A lot of this stems back to the lack of women who graduate with an engineering degree. In 2017, only 14% of graduates in that area were female. With so few women graduating with a relevant degree, it’s understandable that the manufacturing industry would be dominated by men. So, what can be done to change this?
Encouraging Women to Build Careers in Manufacturing
To try and combat how few women choose manufacturing as a career choice, schemes such as the Year of Engineering and WISE campaign were created to achieve a greater gender balance in STEM subjects. This is something that the government, employers and the industry itself are all behind. However, manufacturing is facing a skills shortage and with women hesitant to choose the industry, the amount of female talent out there is scarce. Without women wanting to begin a manufacturing career, employers are struggling to create a gender diverse workforce. Not only are companies missing out on the skills and talent a female manufacturer may have, but they are missing out on the unique qualities and approaches that a woman can bring to the industry.
Fewer Women in Manufacturing STEMs Back to School
A lot of people don’t have a career in mind during their time at school, and so a lot of people end up in careers that are somewhat based on their educational experience. This is one of the reasons as to why so few women end up working in manufacturing, as it’s not something that is presented to girls as an option at school. Though girls are taught STEM subjects, it’s much less focused on the engineering side of things. Girls are not presented with manufacturing options, nor do they see other women working in the field. With so little experience of engineering, it’s reasonable to assume that many young girls don’t see manufacturing as a viable career option.
It’s also possible to argue that manufacturing is not seen as an industry that’s readily accepting of women, especially as it’s such a male dominated area. This could be seen as a hostile, unwelcoming and difficult industry for women to travel through. Though this is certainly changing, it’s an image that is deeply rooted. If manufacturing is not presented as a desirable and interesting setor to girls at school, it’s unlikely that it’s an industry they will consider as an adult.
Companies within manufacturing could also play a part in why so few women are keen to build a career in manufacturing. Women tend to look for flexibility in the workplace and a career that works alongside family life. This is something that employers need to highlight as a possibility, as a way to attract female applicants.
Back in April, the Gender Pay Gap regulations came into force and the government’s Year of Engineering campaign has been in full swing for a while, so there is no denying that the lack of women in manufacturing is being taken seriously. However, it’s hard to say whether more women are moving into the industry.