The manufacturing sector has long been a male-dominated industry, but recent efforts to increase gender diversity are paving the way for a more inclusive future.
To understand the challenges and solutions in this area, organisers of the Women in Manufacturing Summit 2024 spoke with Hannah Campbell, Procurement Manager at Incitec Pivot, and Adam Carpenter, Manufacturing Mill Manager at Kimberly-Clark.
They shared their insights on the obstacles women face, the importance of gender diversity, and practical steps allies can take to support women in manufacturing.
Obstacles to women’s career progression
Hannah Campbell identified a critical factor impeding women’s career progression in manufacturing: the lack of adaptive leadership styles that recognize and nurture diverse talents.
“An inability as leaders to understand that we need to adapt our style to unlock potential in different people,” she explained.
To overcome this challenge, Campbell suggests that leaders tailor their approaches based on individual needs. Instead of seeking a general expression of interest for an internal opportunity, it can be more effective to directly and privately ask a candidate while affirming why they would be suitable.
Adam Carpenter pointed out that biases, lack of mentorship, and the nature of production roles can hinder women’s career progression.
“Women in male-dominated industries such as manufacturing can experience systemic biases and stereotypes,” he said.
Carpenter emphasized the importance of unconscious bias training and mentorship and sponsorship opportunities. He noted that lack of access to mentors significantly hinders career progression and highlighted the importance of providing flexible work options to accommodate work-life balance, benefiting all employees, including women.
The importance of gender diversity
Reflecting on her personal journey, Campbell emphasized the tangible benefits of gender diversity in the workplace.
“I have lost track of the amount of times that having a diverse group of people in the room has led to a better business outcome,” she noted.
The key advantage of gender diversity lies in its ability to foster diversity of thought, driving innovation and improved decision-making. However, Campbell highlighted that diversity alone is insufficient without an inclusive environment where all voices are heard and valued.
Carpenter shared a similar sentiment, noting that diverse teams lead to better decision-making. “When teams are similar, particularly male-dominated, there is a tendency to gravitate towards the loudest voice,” he said.
Diverse teams, on the other hand, are more likely to consider different perspectives, resulting in better decisions.
Successful initiatives promoting gender diversity
Campbell underscored the importance of tailored leadership and inclusive environments as key components of successful gender diversity initiatives. By fostering these elements, organizations can create more equitable and supportive workplaces for women.
Carpenter shared a success story from Kimberly-Clark, where reducing the list of skill requirements in job advertisements and focusing more on behaviors led to an increase in female applicants.
“In 2019, we had zero female applicants for production roles, but since implementing these changes, we’ve seen about 40% new female employees join our production teams year on year,” he explained.
This initiative, along with strategic advertising and referral programs, has helped break down stereotypes and unconscious biases, promoting gender diversity in the workforce.
Practical steps for allies
Both Campbell and Carpenter emphasized the importance of allies in supporting women in manufacturing. Campbell suggested that allies can help shift the perspective around gender quotas by clearly articulating the unique skill sets and contributions women bring to their roles.
This helps validate women’s achievements and reinforces their merit-based appointments. “While change is occurring, there is still a lot of stigma around gender quotas and whether this was a factor when women are appointed into roles, particularly those historically filled by men. As a woman, it can be hard to advocate for the fact that you were appointed on merit, particularly if there is some internal self-doubt around whether that is true. Allies can help shift this perspective by clearly articulating the particular skill set, attitudes or style that the candidate brings to the role, and how that will contribute towards delivering business outcomes (other than gender targets!).”
Carpenter added that allies should speak up against behaviors that undermine respect in the workplace and actively include female team members in discussions and decision-making processes.
“This can be as simple as asking female team members their opinion and listening to their contribution,” he said. Ensuring that women are credited for their ideas also helps create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.
