Nearly five million women work in manufacturing in the United States. About 10,000 of those women have joined Women in Manufacturing (WiM), Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a national trade association.
WiM is an organization that welcomes all genders and gender identities, all races and any ethnicity, all cultures and religions, all backgrounds and every socioeconomic status, all ages and all abilities. The organization works toward a dual mission: to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive association, and to support its members as they build diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces.
While the association’s membership includes many manufacturing sector employees in manager/supervisor and coordinator/generalist/specialist roles, there also are production workers, analysts, owners and C-suite executives, directors, engineers and consultants. WiM has more than 30 chapters across the nation in market segments including aerospace, automotive, chemicals, construction, consumer packaged goods, furniture & fixtures, high tech, industrial equipment, medical devices, life sciences, metal, oil and gas, and plastics and rubber.
WiM presents year-round virtual, local and national events. As this article went to press, the October 2021 lineup featured a three-day hybrid in-person and virtual summit with plant tours, professional development sessions, roundtable discussions and keynote speakers. The schedule for October also included events at chapters in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Connecticut, Ohio, Nebraska, Georgia, Massachusetts and Illinois.
Many members of the WiM community have dual roles – manufacturing professional and mom. The association launched Moms in MFG in August 2021 as its first event in a series dedicated to working moms in manufacturing. The virtual event included an opening presentation by Allison Grealis, president and founder of WiM and its Education Foundation. There were presentations and panel discussions on overcoming burnout and finding balance, creating mom support groups, developing support practices for working moms, dealing with imposter syndrome, managing “mom guilt” and maintaining the juggling act of career and home life.
Resources available to WiM members include virtual career fairs, the WiM Career Center, the virtual learning library, registered apprenticeship programs and ERG resources. WiM’s Virtual Learning Series features monthly webinars; the current lineup covers digital communications, being a leader for remote and hybrid teams, influencing successful change, developing emotional intelligence and tackling complex problem solving.
The WiM Career Center is available for job seekers and employers. At press time, nearly 6,000 jobs were listed for roles such as director of operations, packaging engineer, production builder/medical device assembler, production planning scheduling manager, corporate account manager and strategic sourcing manager. WiM also has partnered with Jobs for the Future and others to help WiM members build their own registered apprenticeship programs.
To locate a local chapter or to inquire about creating a new state or regional chapter, contact Audrey Imes at aimes@womeninmfg.org. For more information, visit www.womeninmanufacturing.org.