Celebrating the Women of Manufacturing
March is many things: the month of daylight savings time, the Spring equinox, and last but certainly not least, National Women’s History Month. This is a worldwide celebration, corresponding with International Women’s Day that took place on March 8, and it actually dates all the way back to 1911.
However, the landscape for women across all industries is thankfully a lot better than it was in 1911. This is especially true in manufacturing—where women are celebrated and recognized as great contributors to the innovation, technology, and forward-thinking that make the industry what it is. Women now have more opportunities and are known to be as vital to the manufacturing industry as men are, and luckily, more and more women are holding positions of all levels in manufacturing.
However, there’s still a lot more progress to be made, and while we’re celebrating National Women’s History Month, we can also focus on encouraging more women to join this growing industry. Women represent only 30% of manufacturing’s employment, and many people still feel there’s a major gender gap that needs to be addressed.
The Manufacturing Institute’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Production (STEP) Ahead initiative is one program actively working on promoting the role of women in manufacturing. They do this by not only recognizing and celebrating the women already in the field, but by attracting and recruiting women to the industry, and by empowering the next generation of female manufacturers.*
Other programs include Million Women Mentors, led by congresswomen and aimed at promoting STEM education among young women, and there are countless individual programs around the country that are actively working on getting young girls excited about math, science, and technology. After all, there is a documented skilled labor shortage in manufacturing, and getting America’s bright young females interested in the industry could certainly help.
At Dynomax, we celebrate and appreciate all of the smart, strong, capable women who work with and for us, and we hope more females make the decision to join this wonderful industry.
* http://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/Initiatives/Women-in-Manufacturing/STEP-Awards.aspx
