From championing scientific and technical training at the high school level to offering mentoring within the workplace, there are many steps that individuals and communities can take to help women launch rewarding careers in the packaging industry.
There are more women than ever working in the packaging industry, and they’re achieving success in roles historically held by men. Across the factory floor at the Pixelle Specialty Solutions Chillicothe mill, for instance, one three-person crew working the winder on the largest paper machine is entirely made up of women, and two women are part of a crew that operates the curtain coater. The company has also shrunk the gender gap on its woman-led sales team in recent months, with women making up about 40% of the team.
As a greater number of women enter STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs in colleges and technical schools, they are filling electrical, chemical, engineering and other technical manufacturing roles upon graduation. This is encouraging given how underrepresented women have been in STEM fields in the past.