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How many people were actually aware that the 8th March was International Women’s Day? Well it was, and this was a great opportunity to make the case for women in the logistics, transport and haulage industries. Although the figures show that women in the industry are currently underrepresented, companies and business are making changes and putting targets in place to rectify this. The Statistics At this time of year the logistics industry, which includes an enormous number of transport and haulage companies, is involved in many prestigious conferences so it is a good time to discuss the extent to which women are involved in representing the individual businesses at these public-facing events. It is hard to believe that a female representation of 8.5% is a better-than-average percentage, but Air Cargo India, which hosted one of the first conferences of the year, had only four women speakers among 43 staff - one of the highest representations. The International Cargo Handling Company held a conference in Barcelona, at which only two women spoke. This represented 4.5% of the total number of speakers. The women who are speaking at these events tend to be women holding senior posts, leading to the conclusion that women are very much underrepresented in the lower-ranking roles. The Numbers Are Rising You could be forgiven for assuming that the small number of women speakers at important conferences is due to not as many women in positions of seniority, but this is simply not true. The number of women in the logistics, transport, and haulage industries has risen rapidly in the last seven years, which is very positive news. Despite this, however, significantly fewer women are presenting at these conferences. This is an issue that is being addressed by business themselves. McKinsey (Global Management Consultants) carried out a study in 2009 that showed that having more than 30% of women in senior positions leads to better financial gains. Business owners of transport, logistics and haulage companies have taken this on board and are making moves to get more women involved, and achieve set targets. What Do Women Offer? Women provide a difference and a freshness in the world of logistics – a world that is used to attending conferences dominated by men. Women present differently and give information in a different way. They can be excellent role models for young women and indeed men. How The Transport Industry Celebrated International Women’s Day 2016 This year, International Women’s Day was marked by several global logistics companies. Air India operated the world’s longest flight with a crew of all women and in turn led the way for other companies to follow suit. Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines made their mark on this commemorative day, operating flights crewed only by women, and Virgin, XPO Logistics and other organisations also noted the importance of the day. For all business in this industry, including haulage companies, barriers are coming down and the drive to get women more fairly represented is strong. With a proven record of bringing financial success to businesses, women have a case for being taken seriously, and indeed this industry is doing just that. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs with available drivers. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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