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What is the State of Women in Manufacturing?
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the iconic Rosie the Riveter painting making its debut on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Rosie, with her patriotic bandanna, denim overalls and flexed muscles, inspired a movement of American women joining the workforce. In the four years between 1940 and 1944, the number of working American women nearly doubled.
In a blog post last July, we referenced a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the importance of women in the manufacturing sector. In honor of Rosie, we return to the topic and explore the state of women in the manfuacturing sector today.
According to a recent study released by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, a majority of women in manufacturing today are satisfied with their careers, but they are also worried about the next generation of women in the sector. The study, a combination of surveys and in-depth interviews with more than 600 women representing a wide array of jobs in the manufacturing sector, found a full 75% of the women surveyed agreed that the manufacturing sector offers interesting and rewarding career opportunities. One of the reported reasons for this satisfaction is employers’ efforts to provide a balance between work and family obligations.
This research is an important step in debunking the myths that manufacturing is not a suitable career for women and that it is not conducive to family life.
When the first generation of Rosies entered the workforce, they faced a reluctant society, fearful of the impact working mothers would have on the nation’s children. Much has changed since then as recent research indicates that women are now the leading or sole breadwinners in 40 percent of US households today – the highest percentage in history.
And women are not only surviving in the workforce and in the manufacturing sector – they are excelling there! On the recent Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world, a full 22 have made their mark in manufacturing and technology companies.
Returning to the Deloitte study, we can see that a strong majority of the women surveyed feel that the manufacturing sector does not do an adequate job of presenting itself to women candidates – This is a big problem.
With enhanced STEM education and mentorship programs, today’s young women can look to modern real-life Rosies as examples of success in the workplace and in the manufacturing sector in particular.
For an example of womens’ community building in the manufacturing sector, check out the Precision Metalforming Associaiton’s Women in Manufacturing website.
And today, in honor of Rosie the Riveter, think about the many working women who are pushing American competitiveness forward and bolstering the manufacturing sector here at home. 
