“Macho men” hauling and operating bulky machines and tools is what mostly comes to mind when one tries to envision the manufacturing industry in the mind’s eye. And this myth has only grown stronger over the generations and resulted in a severely warped gender representation. Women are the largest consumers of products but paradoxically less than one-sixth of them have a hand in the making of these products. Their participation in manufacturing ranges from an abysmal 3-12%, a study by Consulate General of Sweden in India reveals. While flexible ways of working have been a leveller for women and men, the overwhelm caused by the pandemic of 2020 on women has been intense and has widened the gender gap at the workplace. More women than men have quit the workforce and depressed an already low female labour participation rate in India.
It is time to build a future of manufacturing & supply chain where women have equal power and voice, as makers and leaders. The SheMaker Summit 2021 |Season 2 is a platform to enable this vision. Hosted by ThiinkEqual, the summit brings together women in manufacturing to see, hear, innovate, and collaborate with fellow women to get inspired to lead the future in the industry. It is also a stage for companies to showcase their power and depth in terms of leadership, innovation, and employer brand, so as to motivate women to take their career to the next level. As co-founders Anjali Gulati and Poornima Parameswaran Batish put it, “We need to make role models more visible for younger generations of women and girls to aspire, build and advance their careers in the core and allied sectors. While technology seems to be an attractive career for most including women today, it is key to bring out on how technology has changed the shopfloor and production and is breaking the male-dominated stereotypes of the industry.”
Season 1 of The SheMaker Summit, January 2020, hosted virtually, saw participation from leading companies like Tata Steel, Welspun, Hindalco, Cummins among others and women in manufacturing across the country from plants and corporate offices and some show-stopping stories of shopfloor women breaking the glass ceiling.
The March 2021 summit has a stellar line up of inspiring women leaders, companies showcasing leading and emerging trends, a view into the changing face of the shop floor and women-run plants. Thought leaders & accomplished women achievers from companies like Colgate-Palmolive, M G Motors, HUL, UN Women, Tata group, Godrej Consumer Products and many others would be speaking about pioneering practices and programs they are driving to make affirmative changes to the workplace. The special SheMaker Awards segment, powered by the Aditya Birla Group and Global Manufacturing Leadership Program, will recognise talented women & enabling corporates, Start-ups and SMEs who have led from the front and deserve the spotlight.
This International Women’s Day, as we #ChoosetoChallenge the status quo and take positive strides, join us to lead the change for gender equal in manufacturing, supply chain and allied functions.
Register here: https://bit.ly/37QKxeN