Women In Logistics Breaking Barriers

Gender diversity in an organisation is being viewed as a building block for success. Logistics companies are facilitating the inclusion and retention of women through mentoring, training and awareness initiatives. All of them have policies in place to make it conducive for women. The industry is realising the potential of gender balanced teams due to its positive impact on performance that also finds validation in numerous studies.

- Nahida Jafferi

Traditionally, the male dominated supply chain logistics industry was associated with heavy lifting work (not considered a women’s forte), where people got an entry-level job and worked their way up. Now supply chain courses at institutes help people start at managerial level. With automation and technology on the rise, it is not about physical work anymore. Moreover, supply chain salaries are going up tremendously because companies are realising the gains the segment brings to business.

The logistics sector is in need of more manpower. On the sidelines of Air Cargo India 2018, Vandana Aggarwal, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that the government is committed to making logistics an industry and increase jobs in the sector from 22 million to 40 million by 2020. In 2015, a report by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) showed that India’s Transportation, Logistics, Warehousing and Packaging sector will need to employ more than 28.4 million employees by 2022. Around six to seven years ago, men occupied on an average 96 percent jobs in the sector. Today, the number of women in logistics has gone up to 20 percent. In developed countries the percentage of women is higher. Gender diversity is getting a conscious push in the industry as companies realise that gender balanced teams offer better work results.

While there are women being hired in various organisations, they hit a glass ceiling that does not allow them to rise beyond mid-level employees. But, is the glass ceiling slowly seeing cracks? It surely is at DP World that is promoting gender inclusion as a policy, wherein a growing number of women are welcomed and awarded leadership roles.