- In the age of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, what is stopping Indian women to work in the manufacturing sector?
- Is employing women a risk considering the prevailing social norms in India?
- Are women breaking stereotypes and embarking on the journey of heavy lifting work a myth or more of a mindset issue?
A perception that working in the manufacturing sector is typically a job that can only be done by men and not women is prevalent not just in India but all around the globe. It is an industry where it is thought that women will have to get their hands dirty because it is a labour-intensive job. Is it a myth or reality that women opt for careers in sectors like IT, Finance, HR, etc, because they are much easier?
Manish Kothari, Managing Director of Rhino Machines, feels that the pre-conceived notion that women cannot handle work in the manufacturing sector diminishes their confidence. Secondly, manufacturing companies feel that it is risky to recruit women as the societal norm for women is to move away after marriage. “In Anand in our Industrial Association, there are approximately 800 industries. During last year when elections were held, in my campaign I did not find one woman in the engineering industry who was at the helm of affairs”, cites Manish for the lack of women participation in the Indian manufacturing sector, especially among SMEs.
Another professional in the manufacturing sector, Arjun Majumdar, who is the CFO, Head of Finance, Strategic Initiatives & Business partnering, Diversified Group in Oman, shares his view that the career of women professionals in the manufacturing sector being bleak is not really a myth but a mindset issue. There are certain restrictions for women because it is a heavy lifting industry. However, times are changing and women are getting included in the sector. Some women are comfortable with physical work and they are willing to join the force. After the advent of automation in industries, it has made it a lot easier for women to handle work in the sector who are keen to be a part of it.
As per the survey, the manufacturing sector has not tapped a large section of talent that is represented by women. The ability to expand and evolve will happen when the manufacturing sector’s gender gap is bridged. In the 1970s an advertisement by TELCO (now Tata Motors) made Sudha Murthy, a small-town girl and then post-graduate from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, write a letter to JRD Tata, about the gender discrimination in the manufacturing sector protesting about it. The letter worked wonders and Sudha got the job. Although the scenario seems to be a lot better now, it still has a long way to go where an environment has to be created which is conducive for women to work especially in the engineering and manufacturing firms.
Srabasti Banerjee, Director of Elektro Teknica Engineering Private Limited, says that she has been in the manufacturing industry for the past 20 years and initially had to face certain challenges. She was able to overcome them and is running an MSME unit that manufactures high to medium voltage switch gears and transformers. She feels that recruiting women employees in the production unit becomes a risk and the entire unit will have to be revamped according to the requirements of a women staff. Also, she feels that the safety of women is a significant concern.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya a project manager with WEBFIL Limited also says that they have a lot of women doing the back-end jobs but no lady is working in the production unit. So, again more than a myth it is the mindset of people that needs to change and be made aware that women if given proper training and lessons on skill development, can also work as a part of the production workforce.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Modi government has made it very clear that women will play a critical role in the development and growth of the country. To encourage more women to be a part of the manufacturing sector workforce, the promotion of skill development is extremely essential. As per Niti Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant, the inclusion of women in the economic process will make India grow by over 10-11%, and for achieving that we need to take simple but steps that can make an impact in society.
Over the next month, we, at Machine Maker, are going to look out for answers to some unanswered questions mentioned here. If you have interesting stories about women who made a mark in the manufacturing sector, as well as answers to the challenging subject, please do write to us at info@themachinemaker.com