Sudha Murthy: A Beacon of Inspiration

Women like Sudha Murthy have been brave enough to challenge gender disparities and break the traditional barriers. This was way back in 1974 when Sudha Murty was a master’s student at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. She discovered a job advertisement on the institute's notice board from a well-known automobile company, TELCO (now Tata Motors), seeking talented engineers. However, a caveat at the end of the advertisement stating that ‘Women candidates need not apply’ caught her eye.

Feeling wronged, she promptly drafted a letter and posted it to the legendary JRD Tata, the doyen of the Tata Group, challenging the advertisement and seeking an explanation from him for the gross gender bias. Within ten days of sending her note of protest, she received a telegram from TELCO inviting her for an interview at the Tata Motors office in Pune. Needless to say, she aced the interview and thus became the first woman engineer at Telco.

Women in Manufacturing: The Ground Reality

Despite Sudha Murthy's inspiring victory in the 1970s, the manufacturing industry still grapples with gender disparities, as women are grossly underrepresented.

Recent studies indicate that only about 20 percent of women are in the global manufacturing workforce. According to a 2021 report by Deloitte, women make up only about 12% of India's manufacturing workforce. (which is even lower than the global average).

 Education: The Key to Closing the Gender Gap

This underrepresentation is a stark reminder that urgent action is needed to address this issue, and education is critical to achieving it. With education, we can build a world where gender equality in manufacturing will become a reality. Some of the educational initiatives include:

• Encouraging women in STEM
• Providing them with adequate job skills to get them industry-ready
• Offering mentorship programs that pair experienced women in manufacturing with younger women/new entrants for guidance, support, and career advice
• Offering financial incentives like scholarships and grants specifically for women pursuing degrees in engineering, manufacturing, and related fields
• Providing them with tailored leadership and career development programs that can help women advance into management and executive roles

Other Measures to Close the Gender Gap

Other measures to create a more equitable and inclusive environment that attracts, retains, and supports women in the industry could be:

• Creating an inclusive culture in the workplace
•  Flexible work arrangements that accommodate work-life balance, especially for women with family responsibilities
• Creating company policies that promote respect and equality and protect women from discrimination or harassment
• Setting clear goals for gender diversity within the organization, with accountability measures to track progress
• Highlighting women as role models and success stories in manufacturing to inspire and attract more women to the field
• Implementing and supporting programs that help women return to the workforce after career breaks, with training and re-skilling opportunities in manufacturing

Conclusion

With sustained efforts and initiatives such as these, we can build upon and expand opportunities for women in manufacturing. However, this will only be possible if we foster a culture of inclusivity, challenge biases, and promote the visibility of women leaders within the industry. The urgency for this change is clear, and we must act now.

At Phillips Education, we are committed to empowering young, bright minds passionate about manufacturing, regardless of gender. We provide comprehensive training programs, technical skills development, and leadership opportunities. These programs not only enhance technical competencies but also foster leadership skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

 Author

Nandini Mukherjee