LizRenshaw

How times have changed over the years and it is great to see more career opportunities in management now open for both sexes within this exciting sector.

The website Women in Logistics UK is specifically aimed at women who work within Logistics in the UK and it’s key purpose is to promote and support women within this sector, by providing them with networking and mentoring opportunities.

Women in Logistics UK was established in September 2008 and quickly gained momentum, with 500 members joining in the first year; and there are now more than 2000 members with numbers going up every day - I myself have recently joined.  What’s also great to hear is approx. 15% of their members are men who support women working in the industry which is very encouraging.

Women in Logistics UK was formed to help increase the number of women in this sector, improve lifestyles for those women already working in logistics and more importantly dealing with gender imbalance issues.

There’s also a lot of fun linked around Women in Logistics UK as well – they had their first face-to-face meeting in January 2009, which was attended by 19 members (half the membership at that stage!) and a steering committee was established. Progress since then has been amazing, with 4 further events being held in 2009 and the launch of the mentoring scheme in October 2009.  The members range from all professional sectors such as; road haulage, supply chain and logistics, consulting, IT, HR, retail, manufacturing, third party, executive search, public sector and Logistics Management.

It is still surprising to see that only 22% of women work make up the logistics workforce in England, compared with 46% in other sectors, and women hold fewer than 10% of the managerial roles in Logistics. With this sector offering many rewarding and challenging careers, suitable for both men and women, there is no logical explanation for this imbalance! Awareness, encouragement and support are why this group is continuing to thrive and I am hoping to see an increase in the percentage of female managerial positions over the next 5 to 10 years.  I personally feel that every industry needs a healthy balance of both genders, as each person has their own unique skills and techniques which may be otherwise overlooked and could enable organisations to become more profitable. 

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, leave any comments in the box below!

Source: http://www.womeninlogistics.org.uk/aboutus.html