A recent study shows, despite several measures taken to encourage gender diversity at the workplace, the average number of women employed by top manufacturing companies in India is less than seven per 100 workers. Women find it difficult to pursue a career of their choosing due to social standards, professional or technical education gaps, and meeting the physical demands of certain job, but the manufacturing sector makes things far more difficult due to infrastructure deficiencies and odd work hours.
There are few mentors who can direct and steer the careers of woman apprentices, even those who make it to the factory floor. This is regrettable, given the amount of academic works and research studies that unequivocally indicate that increased women labour market participation boosts return metrics and profitability criteria.
A study on the Indian women in the manufacturing industry reveals that women represent only about three per cent of the core engineering industry, as opposed to 12 per cent of the electronics industry. Globally, this is where we face a skillset gap.
Despite the reality of decreased female participation in manufacturing, the industry has a strong history of producing women executives who have been outliers and stellar achievers. The nature of the traditional workforce is changing slowly and dramatically. In addition to demonstrating that they are as skilled as their male colleagues, women are also advancing innovation and quality in the industry by contributing with their distinctive views and diverse range of skillsets.