A happy International Women’s Day to all the women in the manufacturing sector! Historically, women have always been underrepresented in the labour force, however, tables are changing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2017 and the Time Magazine in 2018 both showed that approximately 52% of females in the working age are part of the total working population. What’s more interesting is that in certain sub-sectors, women are thriving. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2011 revealed that in Sub Saharan Africa women have been contributing 60% to 80% of the labour in both food production for household consumption as well as for sale. The same study also disclosed that women have the potential to contribute meaningfully to economic activities even beyond the family level.
Nonetheless, women continue to be underrepresented in the Labour Force. In Zambia for instance, women only represent 38.7% of the total labour force as was shown in the Labour Force Survey Report of 2019. Moreover, globally, when it comes to distribution of employed persons per educational attainment, only 32% of women in the workforce hold a bachelor’s degree and only 18% have a master’s degree or higher. The gender bias is evident looking at the few women who hold managerial positions in different sectors of the economy, especially in the manufacturing sector. The World Economic Forum in the Global Gender Gap report of 2020 reveal that there are more women at junior staff levels, constituting a third of the working women at 33%, about a quarter or 24% are mid-level staff, while 15% are senior level staff, and only 9% are female chief executive officers across all industries.
For an industry such as manufacturing that has been male dominated since time immemorial, there is a perception by women that jobs in the sector are monotonous assembly-line tasks or work that is done in a dangerous environment. Such preconceptions bear little semblance to the modern, innovative and technologically advanced manufacturing operations being adopted. Presuppositions held have resulted in women making up only 29% of the manufacturing workforce, according to a manufacturing study carried out in 2017 by Deloitte and Touché and are in line with the findings of the Zambia Labour Force Survey in 2019.
Women, however, represent one of the largest pools of untapped talent for manufacturers. Aside from the usual engineering, metal fabrication, production management manufacturing jobs, women can also contribute as accountants, legal advisors and managing directors to name but a few. Therefore, closing the manufacturing sector’s gender gap is key. Moreover, women have been advancing their careers over the years, acquiring qualifications from diplomas to master’s degrees and PhDs. The question then becomes, how do we attract skilled women in the manufacturing sector?
To plug the skills gap that has limited businesses’ ability to evolve and expand their utilisation of women, the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) in this women’s month has several initiatives that it will be undertaking to elevate women to a more competitive place in the manufacturing sector. Aside from financial and managerial training to improve the numbers in the managerial echelons, ZAM will also be celebrating women in the manufacturing sector.
With the belief that it is important to highlight the achievements of women who are championing the manufacturing industry workspace, ZAM will be hosting a Women in Industry Conference on the 18th of March 2021, mainly to appreciate the women who are braving the odds in the manufacturing industry and overcoming the set gender stereotypes. Women during the conference will be sharing their experiences and achievements so that other women can receive inspiration. The public can join into the conference through a zoom link that can be obtained from www.zam.co.zm.
The Conference will be in line with the UN theme for the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) – “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all sectors of the economy, it is bringing about numerous challenges that have changed the world. The 2021 IWD campaign however states that, a challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change. The challenges that the pandemic is raising are therefore seen as opportunities that should be leveraged upon, in order to re-invent and innovate the role of women in industry and overcome the economic disruptions that the COVID-19 crisis is imposing.
To overcome the economic disruptions and enhance the contribution of women, the Women in Manufacturing Industry Conference will firstly highlight and therefore equip women with the necessary skills and competencies needed to thrive in the manufacturing industry. Secondly, the event will create a platform for dialogue and partnership among women from different sectors including leaders from the Government, government institutions, international organizations, manufacturing and financial sectors and other stakeholders. And finally, will celebrate the efforts of women in the manufacturing, engineering, financial sectors and other key strategic institutions supporting the manufacturing sector directly or indirectly. To crown it all, the conference will be graced by the presence of Zambia’s first female Vice President – Her Honour Madame Inonge Wina. We look forward to see you there!
