WiM Director Quoted in PTC Blog on Attracting Women to Manufacturing

Women in Manufacturing Director Allison Grealis was featured this morning in a PTC blog post on the potential for women to fill the manufacturing labor gap.

The article points to data from Catalyst which we’ve often listed here – Women make up 47 percent of the U.S. workforce, but only 25 percent of those working women were employed in manufacturing careers. 

Writer Michelle Reis quotes Allison as saying she believes outdated perceptions of the manufacturing industry are big part of the problem:

“Too often, they think of it as their father’s manufacturing; still un-modern, dirty, dark, dingy, and not a place for women,” Grealis is quoted as saying. “That it requires a whole bunch of girth and heavy lifting, and that it’s not a very pleasant place to work.”

But, as the article notes, this is a perception, not a reality.  To make the case, the article also includes data from the Manufacturing Institute survey that we often cite here -75 percent of surveyed women in manufacturing find their careers "interesting and rewarding."

The article even references our Hear Her Story profiles as one way to make a difference and help people realize the success and excitement that can be found in the manufacturing field - especially for young women.

“The main reason we hear from women for why they love manufacturing is that it’s exciting,” Grealis says in the article, “It’s never a dull day.” 

Read the full blog piece on the PTC site here.