Transformation in the Women in Manufacturing Movement
By Andrea Aiello
When the email arrived in my inbox to congratulate me on the successful application of the Women in Manufacturing tour across the United States, my first thought was “wow,” followed too quickly by, “what a great opportunity – for someone else.”
A connection of mine had passed on some information about a professional development exchange program sponsored by the US State Department. The program, Building Back Better: Women in Manufacturing, would bring together women from Canada and Mexico to explore best practices in engaging and retaining women in our industry. It was three weeks long, fully funded, and would include travel to five different cities across the US.
As we women do, my thoughts went to my son and husband (what would the impact of me leaving home for nearly a month?), my work and team (we just started onboarding a new employee – it would be irresponsible to leave that to someone else… right?), the long to-do list (insert whatever nonsense I told myself to talk myself out of such a prestigious opportunity), and I couldn’t see how it could happen, let alone even being one of only seven chosen among the long list of applicants who were undoubtedly more qualified than me.
But I couldn’t shake it. It stuck in my mind and oozed out of me any time I spoke with my colleagues. First, I shared it with my community of other Women in Manufacturing (there’s actually a formal WIM group – contact me if you’re interested in getting involved!), then my peers at work, and family and friends followed shortly after. The response was always the same – excitement and encouragement that I was the right person, and so persistent that it pushed me to finally apply. A few weeks of waiting, an exciting acceptance email, and I eventually found myself getting on a plane to Washington, DC to begin my journey.
Over the course of three weeks, a group of seven women from Canada and Mexico, hosted by Americans, began a deep dive into what we shared in common, what our greatest challenges were – personally and collectively – and where we could effect change. We met with local manufacturers, Women in Manufacturing chapters, government departments, technical colleges, trade associations, academics, career development organizations, and more. And the conversations we had! They were equal parts engaging, lively, vibrant, discouraging, and encouraging – all at once.
What we discovered was a whole lot of overlap across our three countries preventing women from accepting jobs in industry. Of course, there were the obvious culprits – lack of childcare, interest in STEM dropping off for girls as they go through middle school and high school, pay inequities, employer opportunities, and the need for different types of work benefits like flexible work schedules and programs to support women.
There were also not-so-obvious topics. Through exploring them, we found where many opportunities lay.
MATH MATTERS. Not only for professional pursuits in manufacturing, but math and numeracy support general independence for women. Whether it is calculating ROI, margins, inventory turns, payroll, or even personal budgets – there’s power in math and financial literacy. Gathering, analyzing, and using data is an essential foundation that can empower women with professional performance and also give them a critical eye toward compensation, negotiation, and more.
We met some great organizations who are building in math education in such fun and applicable ways that girls weren’t even realizing what it was they were learning. We must ask ourselves: why are the practical and useful teachings of math so often relegated to “lower levels” of learning in our high schools? There’s no reason the math taught in “consumer” or “essential” math classes is the only place that teaches us compounded interest for investing, budgeting, or personal finance. These are the skills that set us up for success – even if we’re not a physicist or actuary.
ALLYSHIP IS MISUNDERSTOOD. So frequently we are asked what is allyship and why does it matter? The answer: for all the reasons that it mattered to any number of underrepresented groups throughout history. While we remain encouraged by the growing community of women in manufacturing, the needle really doesn’t move until we all understand how to support and champion the inclusion and development of women (and others, of course).
One of our favourite visits was by an organization called Equimundo, whose main goal is to promote gender equality. The organization’s central tenet is that “male-identifying individuals must be active allies in achieving gender equality and full rights for women, girls, and non-binary individuals.” Through a series of activities, our group explored the issues that allies might face and feel, and how we can provide training that addresses and encourages more voices speaking up.
CHAMPIONS ARE CRITICAL. Further to the point on allyship, at almost every stop along our journey, particularly at the manufacturers themselves, there were stories of how women with champions attained more (professionally and financially), than those who did not. Though one can argue the difference between a champion and a mentor, one way this can be built into the culture and as a formal system is through the implementation of a mentorship program. This was highlighted as a cornerstone of almost every group we met with, with clear benefits for both the mentor and mentee. Organizations need both mentors AND champions.
LIVING IN COMMUNITY. I will skip over the reasons we all know why community matters. Perhaps the sweetest benefit of my whole experience was living life with six strangers for three weeks and what happens within that context. Granted, we were all women in leadership positions, type A personalities, all selected because we shared similar criteria, but we were also an interesting cross-section of women from different parts of the world and cultures.
What were we neglecting? For one, our physical selves could receive more attention. Whether it was years of skipping meals, not being active enough, or choosing easy-but-nutritionally-poor meals, living together for three weeks meant we saw, we cared, we commented, and challenged each other to do better.
Second, we tended to sell ourselves short. One of my colleagues on the trip introduced herself as “working in administration.” After a short conversation, I realized how knowledgeable and insightful she was on certain topics and asked her again what role she was in. “Actually, I’m the owner,” she replied, a bit bashfully.
Why do we do this? As the weeks went on, we found our personal and collective voices, growing bolder and more confident, cheering each other on as tough challenges and opportunities were happening in our businesses and careers back home at the same time we were swimming in new information overload. And what impressed us? Instant connection. We felt understood, seen. We had only met just days before, but by the end we said we understood each other better than our families did. And that is the power of community we need to inject in our roles at home. Finding the friends and peers to act as cheerleaders or to keep us accountable.
So, after three weeks on a journey to discover what the rest of North America is doing to support Women in Manufacturing, what did we end up with? This journey has shown that women in manufacturing are on the cusp of transformative change. With strong alliances, the right knowledge and champions, and a sense of community, we can break down barriers and empower the next generation of women to thrive in the industry.
We see young women beginning to lead WIM programs, and they are doing so with such energy and vigour. They are not so interested in living solo lives and coming occasionally to talk about it with their WIM community. They want to LIVE in community and experience life together, to look out for one another, to have fun together because their jobs are stressful, to find friendship that blurs professional and personal, to learn together through book clubs – not only from speakers, but from observations and a-ha moments they are each experiencing.
A favourite stop of ours was the very first day in Washington, DC. We enjoyed a tour of the city with a focus on the contributions of women. There is an inspiration for the future when looking at history and how far we’ve come. It hits you like no other experience can. I think we’ve all known for years that stating and re-stating personal horrors is not the way we engage our young women. So, as we move from one stage of empowerment and into another, we’ll keep our experiences with us, but not be kept from moving forward by the scars some of our careers have garnered us.
Last but not least, what did this experience do for me? I learned who I can count on as cheerleaders in life – my husband, son, parents, my tightknit WIM circle, my champions (yes, I have them and they have been a game changer for me). My broader community who knows me enough to know I might be the right person for an experience like this. My girlfriends, and especially my sister, who texted me every single morning of my trip with a note to seize the experience and be my best self.
I carefully chose what I was going to read to supplement this experience and settled on Quiet by Susan Cain. What a gift to accompany a long journey where I was both solo and surrounded by company, and how acceptance of my introversion is driving a newfound boldness in myself. And last but not least, I discovered (again) the thrill that comes stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that scares you just a bit. It served as a good reminder that when those nerves sound like, “this isn’t for you,” they in fact might be telling you, “This is your path.”
Andrea Aiello is Director of Workforce Development with Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters in Winnipeg.