Since March is Women’s History Month and yesterday, March 8, was International Women’s Day, it only seems right that we showcase all the hard work that women do in the workplace, especially in male-dominated industries such as manufacturing. Many jobs in manufacturing can easily be filled by women, yet oftentimes women are paid less or the positions are perceived as “manly” jobs which can deter women from applying. Unfortunately, this leaves companies with spots to fill, but their solution could be to target a larger demographic that includes higher considerations for women in these fields. In order for this to happen, changes in the workplace need to be made to attract more to close the gender gap.

 For one, expectations by the employer need to be set that identify the existing gender gap so that expectations can be established. Many manufacturing jobs are perceived as old-school and often follow more traditional job roles which includes a lack of a work-life balance. This can be a large deterrent to women who are often also running a household at home. Allowing more understanding and changing the mindset that work is more important can highly impact the female response to job postings. Women are also not the only ones that consider this an important factor to a job hiring process, but also younger generations are highly taking this into consideration when applying for new jobs so being able to attract them as well is also a bonus.

Another way companies can close the gender gap and increase the amount of women in their workforce is by making these jobs more visible and more highly rated by other women. Utilizing your existing workforce of women to attract others is definitely beneficial. Women value the opinion of others and want to hear testimonials and first hand experiences before diving into something, so letting them hear from a current employee can greatly increase the amount of females in your workforce.

Finally, companies will want to keep an open mind to new trends for women in the workplace. Those trends can include things such as childcare onsite, longer maternity leave, paid family time, etc. things that women truly look and highly consider when taking a new job.

Women are an essential piece to the puzzle for so many companies and closing the gap in male-dominated is the key to company success. Encouraging women to apply at your company can contribute to growth in your businesses. And keeping an eye on upcoming industry trends for women and younger generations is the keep to longevity.

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