Together, let’s #breakthebias and change the Manufacturing Industry! Scroll down and check out our video, celebrating women working at DSA.
For International Women’s Day this year, Shokouh Shafiei, our President & CEO is calling all business leaders to join the movement and strive for a better representation of women in manufacturing.
Historically, the manufacturing industry has always been male-dominated, from working on the production line to occupying leadership positions. Manufacturing was considered a dirty, dangerous, and dull profession, and it wasn’t a path that women were encouraged to follow. Even though there have been improvements in recent years, women still only count for 16% of the employees in the Metal Manufacturing industry today! (Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Women are underrepresented and underutilized, and those who have joined the industry are 1.8 times more likely to leave than men (Source: DEI Study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute) due to the lack of work-life balance and flexible work arrangements.
As a seasoned executive, with over 17 years of diverse leadership experiences in Heavy Industrial Manufacturing, Shokouh has often found herself to be the only woman at the table. Starting her career as a service engineer fixing truck engines, Shokouh was constantly exposed to men’s subconscious bias: “As a woman, you have to try twice as hard just to prove you’re qualified for the job. First with your company when applying for the position, then with your customers, who believe that men would do the job better.”
“It takes a toll on people; this bias can hint their performance and discourage their progression if they don’t have the right level of support from their managers.”
Today, as the CEO & President of DSA, Shokouh is making diversity a pillar of our business. Not only is DSA a Minority-Owned Business led by a woman, but Shokouh also aims for gender equality and the representation of all genders, both in the production line and in the office support team. Today, 34% of our employees are women, and this number will grow.
At DSA, we believe that a diverse, multifaceted approach to problem-solving will make us stronger. We want to build an inclusive workplace where diverse viewpoints and ideas are represented.
We invite women to join us and discover that manufacturing today is safe, high-tech, exciting, and challenging for anyone!
Check our video below, celebrating and honoring DSA women who #breakthebias!
