Women in Manufacturing

For many decades, men have been dominating in the manufacturing business field. It’s one of those jobs in which women find it difficult to participate in. However, in the last half-decade, the trend has been changing gradually with more women having interest to work in this field. Such is a result of the manufacturing industry starting to realize women’s value in its transformation. Researchers say that, as more changes will be happening in this industry, we should expect to see more women appear in manufacturing. All these will be to reach the goals and the creativity of the sector. A 2016 study confirms that the US labor force will constitute 47% women. However, in the manufacturing industry, they contribute only 29%. The review does also confirm that more than 50% of the associates, masters, and bachelor’s degrees belong to women. Also, in the US, women are about to take more than half of the managerial positions in big companies and government positions. An interview with several females argued that the manufacturing industry needs a different approach. Most of the women would love the change that will help increase their interest in manufacturing. We can agree that women have been the primary fix for the continuous decrease of skills in the market. They are quick to learn and easily adjust to different industries. In the manufacturing world, women will be an addition to leverage changes and disruptions, therefore materializing the sector. It’s for these reasons that we continue to see the number of women in the manufacturing industry increase yearly operating industrial machines like power tools, lathes, mills and other heavy machineries. But what must we do to encourage women to venture their education in manufacturing-related courses?

Invest more in STEP Ahead Initiative

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Production, (STEP) initiative is one of the best ways to welcome women into manufacturing careers. The program recognizes and mentors women into research efforts about the industry. It inspires young girls who are preparing for college to advance in manufacturing-related courses. By 2017, this institution inspired at least 672 women over four years. The initiative is also working closely with female ambassadors in fostering women with an interest in manufacturing. They exemplify women’s potential and support them to achieve their goals. To do this, campaigns on the topic are ongoing at homes and schools helping women improve their perceptions. According to research, there is a significant failure by the schools in motivating women towards taking manufacturing-related courses. Instead, schools act as a hindrance towards achieving this goal. However, with the help of a female ambassador, many schools have been improving on the matter. It’s these initiatives that saw the percentage of women in the industry shoot to 29% by 2017 from 12% in 2015. From the study, we can expect more women to join the manufacturing industry in the future. For us to achieve this, however, we need to increase the motivation for women to consider related courses. Therefore, more of STEP initiatives should be in place to increase the vigor of the campaign across the US and the world entirely. Establishment of female-based manufacturing companies.