Manufacturing, like other STEM industries, has been traditionally thought of as male-dominated, and improvement has been slow. Employers should be trying to attract women, who bring their own unique skills and experiences to their work.
The Current Workforce
The recent release of the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 has revealed that women make up 41.2% of the workforce, but this reduces to between 30% and 35% for manufacturing, transportation and supply chain sectors. Similarly, women hold 28.8% of leadership roles overall but under 25% of leadership positions in manufacturing and less than 20% in transportation and supply chains.
Why Employing More Women Is Beneficial
Employing more women means a greater range of perspectives and experiences being brought to bear, which can help develop new solutions to problems. It also boosts the economy and ensures that all positions can be filled. By 2030, at current rates, there will probably be around 7.9 million manufacturing and supply chain vacancies.
How to Encourage More Young Women into the Industry
Encouraging women into the industry starts at school, where they need to know that STEM careers are a viable option. They have the ability, they need reassurance, that they will be welcome. Tell them how their curiosity and creativity can be put to use. Show them the diverse range of meaningful roles on offer, from producing electroless nickel plating such as that at https://www.swmf.co.uk/surface-coatings/electroless-nickel-plating to developing new life-saving medical equipment.
Girls should be able to talk to women already in the industry so they do not feel alone. It is also important to ensure men in manufacturing are willing to welcome female colleagues and that incidents of sexism are dealt with promptly and firmly. Employers may need to be more flexible in their thinking and approach.
Hiring more women is not just an attempt to meet quotas. It comes with real benefits in terms of strengthening the depth and ability of your workforce. That means you need to make an active effort to answer concerns and encourage women to consider roles in manufacturing.