Bridging the manufacturing gender gap

UK manufacturers are having a tough time. Between climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, new regulation, lack of investment and the overhang of the pandemic, it’s been a rocky ride.

Among the plethora of threats, one of the biggest challenges we’re facing is a lack of skilled workers.  

Food and drink is the largest manufacturing industry in the UK, employing an estimated 450,000 people, but further recruits are sorely needed if we are to keep pace with demand and navigate the challenges on the horizon. 

While the sector is struggling to recruit and retain people, it’s been finding it particularly difficult to get women on board.

And despite significant strides having been made to create more inclusive and diverse work environments, the underrepresentation of women persists.

The Women in UK Manufacturing 2024 report – a joint effort across the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, IfM Engage, and Women in Manufacturing (WiM) – showed that women make up around half of the UK’s working population yet represent just 26.1% of the overall manufacturing workforce.

Progress in recent years to gain gender parity has been slow too, with women participation barely moving – 25.9% to 26.1% between 2022 and 2023.

One of the main deterrents for women is arguably the expectation to be the main care providers, with this gender-based division making women more likely to work part-time than men.

The Women in UK Manufacturing report found that in March 2024, women spent 50% more time on unpaid childcare, adult care and household work than men. This pattern has remained consistent in the last few years.  

It also highlighted that in December 2023, the number of women in manufacturing working part time rose by 2% compared to the previous December. A total of 26.2% of women vs 6% of men in manufacturing were in part-time roles last year.

The good news is that food isn’t bottom of the gender disparity list, with the report flagging the career category of ‘food products’ with generally better female participation, at 37.5%. Still, it’s clear there’s progress to be made.

Why is there a gender gap in food production?

Speaking with Vanessa Smith, operations director at Cola-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Wakefield, on the challenges of recruiting women, she said that preconceived views have had a big role to play.

“Unfortunately, there is still a widely held perception that manufacturing is a heavy-duty and physically demanding sector and historically this has tended to attract more men to the industry,” ​she said.

“In reality, most manufacturing roles are grounded in innovation, problem solving and teamwork; and the environments are high-tech and require skilled people of all backgrounds, especially those with STEM qualifications.​

“We need to do more to change the preconceived notion of what the industry entails, and better communicate to more people the range of opportunities available in the industry.”​

Smith was the first female on site when she started her career 30 years ago. She explained there were times it felt like she had to really prove herself but the progress she’s seen since then has been promising.

“At times it has felt that I’ve had to work twice as hard as my male counterparts over the years to establish my credibility and have my voice heard. But it’s been very encouraging to see more women enter manufacturing roles over the years. And in my experience, the food and drink industry as a sector is very progressive in hiring and retaining women.”​

Whilst it’s true that the industry is much more than heavy lifting, for smaller businesses scaling up, it’s slightly different.

“I have a real problem finding women to work in our factory in terms of the physical manufacturing side of things,”​ Nicola Elliott, founder of Bristol-based jam manufacturer Single Variety, told Food Manufacture.

“It's really hard work, like we're lifting about 25 kilogrammes of sugar. All my jam makers are men which frustrates me – I’d love to have some women. But when I advertise the job, I make it so clear that it involves heavy lifting. We have some women apply, but when they come for an interview and I give them a trial, they absolutely don’t want it.”​

Of course, you can support that heavy lifting with machinery but that’s really expensive and not generally feasible for smaller food business operators – which make up much of the food and drink industry.

The recruitment progress is crucial

The recruitment process plays a huge role in whether people see a future for themselves in the industry – and this is true regardless of gender.

“As manufacturing and wider society continues to change, the way we bring people into the business also needs to adapt,”​ Smith said.  

She explained that CCEP has been focusing on what individuals can contribute based on their skills and attitudes, rather than getting caught up on academic achievements or previous experience.

“We can help fill in the rest with on-the job training and mentoring,”​ she noted.

The aim for CCEP is to achieve 50-50 gender balanced candidate recruitment slates and it is working with a range of partners to help branch out its talent pool further. This includes the use of an AI platform called Get-Optimal which is designed to remove barriers in job adverts that may discourage women from applying.

“We have changed our job adverts to include wording that will attract people with a range of skills they might not automatically link with manufacturing; focusing on great communication, ability to multi-task and prioritise and attention to detail,” ​added Smith.

“We’re anonymising CVs from the screening process to remove any unconscious biases too. All of these actions help us to increase the candidate diversity, however ultimately, we will ensure that we are hiring the best person for the role.”​

The strategy isn’t just about having a strong recruitment process though, it’s also focused on retention and allowing people to have a career that works alongside their commitments and responsibilities.   

“We’re also offering more flexible working options to better suit a range of lifestyles to support this mission.”​

Speaking more broadly, she emphasised the importance of the sector making opportunities within manufacturing seen.

“A key way to inspire the next generation and excite female talent on the opportunities available in manufacturing is to have more information readily available for them while they are still in school and are considering what career they’d like to explore.”​

“There’s great opportunity to work more closely with schools and teachers to build awareness of the range of roles that are available within manufacturing and give students a glimpse into what a day-in-the-life at a business like CCEP could look like.”​

Sharon Livingstone is a food technology apprentice at CCEP, who works at the East Kilbride site. Her day-to-day role sits within the food safety team, where she helps to ensure the products are maintained to high standards through testing.

She started her SVQ Level 6 apprenticeship in 2023 and is on track to complete it in less than a year.

“I was studying Geography at Glasgow University when I first realised that the traditional university route wasn’t for me – so when I spotted an apprenticeship scheme with CCEP on LinkedIn, I decided to pivot my career path and I’m so glad I did,” ​Livingstone recalled.

“I firmly believe that apprenticeship pathways should be more widely promoted to those who are just leaving school, and I’m determined to help pave the way, especially for those who might not be exposed to these types of opportunities often.”​

In a similar vein, Courtney Beckett, a manufacturing excellence specialist at Nestlé, is also working hard to encourage young people into the business.

Beckett joined Nestlé as a Level Three technical operations apprentice in 2017 and since then has worked her way up the ladder. Today, she is one of Nestlé’s Academy Champions.

She spends a lot of time visiting schools, colleges and careers fairs to speak to people who might not have thought about doing an apprenticeship, and believes that it’s important to show students or those looking for a career change the possibilities that an apprenticeship offers.  

As of September 2024, she welcomed her third cohort of apprentices and graduates into the York factory. Over the last three years, seven of these apprentices have been young women, whom Courtney feels lucky enough to support and be a part of their development.

“I am hoping the number of women into the field of operations and FMCG will continue to grow. The young women that have come through the apprenticeship scheme are doing some amazing things in the factory and are each on a really successful career path,”​ she said.

“I'm very proud of each and every one of them for different things and the way they contribute not only to the business but the way they contribute to themselves.”​

Benefits of having more inclusivity

The benefits of having a more inclusive workplace have been demonstrated in countless studies – from a wider talent pool to multiple perspectives, better understanding of consumers, and enhanced innovation and collaboration.

Talking on the benefits of a diverse workforce, Smith said: “With diversity comes a breadth of thinking and different approaches to problems and team working.​

“The work that CCEP has been doing to build a more diverse and equitable workplace is already having a noticeable positive impact within our business.”​

By building teams comprising people from various backgrounds and skillsets, Smith said the company has been able to identify new, better ways of working.   

She gave an example: “We have evolved manual handling aids to better suit the ability of more people on site. We installed a lifter for operators to handle the 20kg+ change parts during labeller changeovers on our large PET bottling lines. This allows any operator, regardless of size, to safely complete the task alone.”​

She added: “But we know there is more to do and we will continue to look for new ways to deliver real, meaningful and long-lasting change.”​

Thinking outside the gender tick box

Still, there is a careful balance to tread, with businesses needing to recruit for the right reasons, rather than simply ticking boxes for personal gains.

“Hiring the best person for the job is what is most important,”​ confirmed Smith.

“To balance the gender gap within new recruits, we need to look at the parts of the hiring process that can be updated to attract a higher number of qualified individuals for the role. We’re putting a lot of effort into promoting the breadth of opportunities available and opening multiple vacancies across the business for those who might not have previous experience working in manufacturing. ​

“Manufacturing is becoming a more inclusive place thanks to the shift towards flexible working, progression in automation, and a growing focus on collaboration, testing and learning. But not everyone is aware of these benefits, so it’s up to businesses like us to paint more of an accurate picture of the industry and showcase what it has to offer for new recruits.”​

Don’t forget the SMEs

It’s clear there is still more work to be done to achieve gender parity and it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a completely even divide between men and women.

We don’t need a strict 50-50 split; we just need to ensure that there are always fair and equal opportunities that give everyone a chance to reach that first stepping stone. The industry must do its part by adapting to the ways of the modern world and ensuring that access to careers in food and drink are readily available, engaging and unbiased; and from there, work to create safe and inclusive environments.    

And while the bigger players can benefit from more resources and investment to plug into this area – and should absolutely do so – the UK Government must ensure it does not forget about the smaller players and ensure it helps them flourish too.

Keep your eyes peeled for our next article, where we'll be focusing on female leadership. In the meantime, why not read our latest exclusive feature on visual impairments and inclusive packaging.​​