Women in manufacturing may feel like a scarce thing to see, but it is slowly becoming more common. Rising from 5% in 1976 to now around 30-40%, women in packaging are closing that gender gap. According to Jane Chase of the Institute of Packaging Professionals in a report at Pack Expo Connects 2020, from 2019-2020 women in the packaging industry closed the wage gap by about 8.65%. Chase also noted that women are coming into the industry highly educated yet at a younger age then men.
At Morrison, we are a woman-owned and led company with our CEO Nancy Wilson at the helm as a packaging-industry expert. Read about some of her career accomplishments and the short Q&A we had with her about her feeling about women in the packaging industry.
Years of Experience and Expertise
After 25 years of experience working in sales and marketing at Ford Motor Company, Wilson brought her expertise here to Morrison and applied it to improve our manufacturing potential. Joining the Morrison team in 2011, she has worked to create a national sales force and expanded the company’s operations, leading to a more than 70 percent increase in sales growth in just 10 years. Hitting the ground running is key to success in business.
Empowering Women in STEM and Beyond
2020 Step Ahead Award Recipient
Each year, the Manufacturing Institute chooses women in the manufacturing industry to honor their work on closing the gender gap in manufacturing. In 2020 Nancy Wilson was a recipient of this honor. The award honors women who have shown to be innovative, inspiring leaders in the manufacturing industry that empower and inspire the next generation of female talent. Read more about the Step Ahead Awards here.
Giving Back to Her Community
Over the years, Wilson has been honored for her consistent efforts
In 2019, Wilson was awarded the 5th annual Jack Lanigan Sr. Memorial Big Shoes Award. This award showcases people like Wilson who go beyond their work to also support education and workforce programs in the Chicago Southland manufacturing community. Wilson herself is committed to education, serving on several different educational boards that develop and support local economic development programs such as robotics and STEAM programs.
Board of Directors for the Southland Development Authority
The creation of the Southland Development Authority was with the intent to unite community leaders to help aid in the future generation’s economic development. This goal aligns well with Wilson’s own personal passion for education both internally and externally in the workforce. In 2019, Wilson was appointed to this board and works with the community to solve workforce needs.
Q: How do you feel about the gender gap in the packaging industry and what can people do to help close it?
Nancy: I don’t think it’s a lot greater in the packaging industry than it is in a lot of traditional male dominated industries, but I think the more we do with workforce development, in recruiting more and more women into manufacturing, the STEM programs that entices them at young ages that we work with, as well as talking with people in setting up mentorship programs and things like that so that people understand and learn how to navigate through the systems. And a lot of the big CPGs in the packaging world already— they’re big and they already have pretty large diversity programs. It can be better; it certainly can be better I just don’t think it’s worse— like I came from automotive. It’s no worse in the packaging industry than it was in automotive.
Q: What makes an innovative, inspiring leader for the next generation?
Nancy: I think that the STEP Ahead Award was specifically calling for women in manufacturing and trying to promote and raise awareness of women in manufacturing. And I think that just simply— I don’t think it’s any different in some cases for women than it is for men it’s just the opportunities that are there and work with your employees. Listen to them and try to pay attention to what’s going on in the markets. Be reactive and have a company culture where you value individuals and employees. This is the kind of the team that we’re putting together while creating that sort of work environment. When you do this, the rest just kind of naturally falls in place. I don’t know that this is innovative and inspiring. I think it's just about trying to create a workplace where people want to be there.
Q: What can employers in manufacturing do to attract and retain more women in the industry?
Nancy: First, it’s the environment that you’re bringing them into. Pay attention to the environment and if it is an environment people want to be in. We just kind of talked about it, and it flows the same way. Second, work on recruiting more. And finally, always remember the more women you have, the easier it is to bring in more women.
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