Lately there has been more emphasis on women in industry as leaders recognize that diverse perspectives in engineering and manufacturing sectors can help solve some of their biggest challenges. But even with this focus on recruiting more women, the manufacturing workforce is trailing behind in this demographic.
This article from SME Media states that in manufacturing, women make up less than 35% of the workforce, a statistic pulled from the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report stemming from the World Economic Forum. In leadership there’s even less representation, with not even 25% of top manufacturing management roles held by women.
To combat this, the engineering and manufacturing industries are working to make the sector more appealing to women entering the workforce and girls in K-12. One way that younger girls are becoming more interested in STEM fields is through women influencers in manufacturing. Additionally, the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) recently released a report that says 85% of school-aged girls are looking for a career where they can help others. The industry can attract these girls by better exhibiting how manufacturing careers can meet this need.
But despite these methods, there are still barriers to increasing the number of women in industry. The NGCP also reports that many girls find it difficult to see STEM careers in a positive light, and that much of the related curricula is hard to connect to what they want out of a career path. Safety can also be a concern for women breaking into heavily male-dominated fields or workplaces.
Overcoming these barriers must become a priority for engineering and manufacturing companies looking to attract more women to workforce and leadership roles. Despite the smaller percentage of women in manufacturing, progress is being made as leaders realize that women in STEM will be an asset to advancing the industry.
Women in Engineering
Gender diversity in engineering and other technical roles helps companies innovate and improve project outcomes by fostering collaboration between those with different perspectives. Despite the importance of having these diverse voices, this sector is still male-dominated.
To encourage more women to join the industry, these companies need to address systematic issues and biases, and provide mentorship. This shouldn’t just be a business imperative, but also a societal one. Our society is increasingly becoming more reliant on technology, and it’s important that the engineers designing these solutions are representative of the population.
Improving gender diversity in engineering creates teams that bring different experiences to their roles, driving the creation of more comprehensive designs and better products — for example, ensuring safety equipment is designed with men’s and women’s requirements in mind. These solutions effectively meet the needs of more end users, which leads to wider adoption.
This isn’t just a talking point — studies show companies with gender-balanced teams perform better than those that don’t. This equates to increased profitability, improved productivity, and enhanced employee satisfaction.
But despite these benefits, there’s still a lack of women in the engineering industry, especially in leadership roles. This means many engineering companies are limiting their talent pool and cutting themselves off from top talent. And it’s not just important for internal company dynamics and projects — having more gender diversity also allows for better connections with customers.
Attracting more women isn’t just about being open to that half of the talent pool. Engineering companies also have to show women that there is a place for them and display a welcoming atmosphere. There are several ways to do this, but none are better than ensuring that women are already in leadership positions at the company.
Other options include being more flexible with work schedules to better meet the demands of family life. This is a great benefit for both genders, but especially women as they tend to take the lead in caregiving roles. Companies should also invest in their women engineers by offering opportunities for professional advancement and growth.
These are all great options for attracting more adult women to the industry, but it’s just as important to encourage them while they’re still students. Igniting a passion for engineering is what will draw these young women to the field, providing the diverse perspectives that make companies more competitive and lead to better business outcomes.
Women Advancing Manufacturing
Having more women in engineering and manufacturing doesn’t just equate to better business outcomes; it also helps to advance the industry. Research from Gallup and Workhuman confirm what we already know: Diverse teams perform better and have enhanced problem-solving capabilities.
Manufacturing has evolved to be heavily technology-focused, with smart tech like AI, robotics, and simulations taking over the industry. This evolution has shifted many manufacturing jobs from what was perceived as dirty, dangerous work to positions with high pay and benefits. Alongside this transition is a greater focus on attracting women to the manufacturing workforce, as they have been underrepresented — especially in the higher-earning manufacturing positions.
According to a 2022 IWPR Women in Manufacturing survey, 73% of respondents said they’d want to help recruit women to the industry. That’s a great start, but the data also portrayed that there’s a lack of women ambassadors working to recruit women. This is important because women mentors help those new to the industry overcome challenges, combat biases, and determine the best path for career growth in manufacturing.
With the advancement of manufacturing, women can enter the industry in a wide variety of roles, from hands-on technical jobs to more academia-focused research work. New technologies equate to new possibilities for the manufacturing sector, diversifying career options and attracting new talent — both men and women — to the industry.
This talent pool is working to continue to advance the industry, offering women careers with actual real-world impact and the opportunity to work with new manufacturing technologies to solve the world’s challenges. To continue attracting women to the industry, change needs to start at an early level, from K-12 skills-based curriculum to apprenticeships for high school and college students.
These initiatives instill a passion for engineering and manufacturing early on, and allow girls and women to be prepared for the technology revolution taking over manufacturing. This not only increases women’s presence in industry but also helps them become trailblazers who advance it.
The Future of Women in Industry
Several cited studies show how gender diversity at companies leads to better outcomes. At this point, attracting more women to manufacturing isn’t just nice to have, but is also a requirement for being more successful in an industry that is quickly advancing.
To achieve this, the manufacturing industry must undergo systematic change to combat gender bias and prejudice against women workers. Additionally, it must make a more concentrated effort to attract women to the field and to inspire a passion for STEM. This can start from a very young age by introducing hands-on manufacturing and engineering curriculum in primary and secondary schools, and by providing more opportunities for women in the industry to mentor those who are just starting out in their careers.
Gender diversity in manufacturing is an important focal point for SME — and by extension our manufacturing trade shows. We offer educational opportunities and other programs to elevate the voices of women in manufacturing, helping ensure that different perspectives make the industry stronger as a whole. To check out some of what we offer, look into attending the Manufacturing Technology Series of events in 2027.