Women in Supply Chain – Breaking Barriers and Driving Change

The term “supply chain management” was first coined after related or overlapping fields like procurement, logistics and manufacturing had already been established. Hence as one of the younger areas of specialisation it was first shaped by men due to the nature of the work involved.

However, as the field evolved and diversified further into the specialisations that we see today, women began to enter the field and make significant contributions as well. This insights and reflections blog article sheds light on why diversity is required in the field of supply chain and why inclusion matters, not as a need to support one gender over the other but how working together and having equal inclusion can add value to the field of supply chain management and thus break barriers to drive change.

One of the main challenges that most women faced about 10 years ago in supply chain management was the limited access to hands on basic operational experience such as driving a forklift or working in a warehouse which is often considered the building blocks to a career in supply chain.

According to a research study published by the Deakin University on the current workforce challenges in supply chain and logistics published in 2021, connectedness – the ability to marry different parts of supply chain is a requirement for leaders.

But a significant barrier for women to achieve connectedness in supply chain arose due to their underrepresentation in certain operational areas such as warehouse operations. This has led to fewer women gaining hands-on experience in these critical areas of supply chain.

According to a research study published by the Deakin University on the current workforce challenges in supply chain and logistics published in 2021, connectedness – the ability to marry different parts of supply chain is a requirement for leaders.

But a significant barrier for women to achieve connectedness in supply chain arose due to their underrepresentation in certain operational areas such as warehouse operations.

This has led to fewer women gaining hands-on experience in these critical areas of supply chain. Thus when you fast forward 10 years and women finally break these norms and start at the basics of picking up on such skills along with advanced skills required in their strategic role in supply chain management, they would reach an age and stage in their life when society would start clocking towards their motherhood, thus bringing a break into their career just when they finally gained all the knowledge, experience  and the opportunity to take the next step.

But although women have faced such challenges there are many who triumphed and continuously pushed the boundaries of their possibilities. Their success is the result of today’s supply chain networks that have almost equal representation of both genders which add to the diversity and inclusion that many corporates advertise they have, to attract young talent from both genders.

Collaboration Over Competition

According to research by McKinsey & Company, organizations with more than 30% female executives are more likely to outperform organizations  with only 10% to 30% of women leaders. The study also found that more gender-diverse companies outperform the rest by 48%.

When men and women have equal representation in a field especially when it comes to handling today’s transformative supply chain projects, success for these projects come with the effective collaboration between diverse men and women.

Further a study conducted by BioMed Central has shown that women outperform men in traits such as multitasking while a study conducted for the psychological bulletin concludes that men outperform women in traits such as risk taking. There are exceptions to this as the studies state, where many women excel in decision-making as well, and many men demonstrate strong multitasking abilities.

But these traits are complementary and create the diverse teams that large transformative projects need such as transformative ERP systems, digital automation and sustainability initiatives which is the foundation that organizations require to remain competitive and successful.

For example, a digital transformation from a traditional system to the latest tech that can bring advancement to an organization requires structured workflows, rigorous testing, and smooth change management. These are all areas where women’s organizational skills shine. Simultaneously, the ability to make decisive calls under pressure and challenge existing models, is often strengthened by the foresight men can bring.

Throughout my career I have led and contributed to transformative projects across various organizations, I strongly believe that without diverse gender balanced teams, many of these projects would not have achieved the same level of success. Hence the future of supply chain leadership is not a competition but a collaborative environment that can leverage each other’s strengths with equal representation to these leadership roles run by both men and women to co-create solutions that drive efficiency, resilience, and long-term success.

Strategies for Supporting Women in the Supply Chain

If organizations can adopt certain strategies such as the following, that can continue to maintain inclusivity and equal representation from both genders, they can build next generation transformative businesses.

1. Choice to have flexibility in working times

Motherhood often brings additional responsibilities that require careful balancing between professional and personal life. It is under such circumstances that an offer in flexibility to work schedules can help women navigate these transitions without compromising their careers.

For example, new mothers may need specific hours to align to childcare needs such as feeding schedules, medical appointments or school drop offs. When organizations offer flexibility for such valid reasons, they can then retain skilled talents and improve productivity by having equal representation of women and men in their workspace culture.

Having worked across different organizations and countries I have personally observed that when flexibility is integrated into work policies, employees stay longer when they know their evolving responsibilities would be supported especially in fields like supply chain that is quiet demanding.

2. Forums to encourage open discussions

Creative platforms for both men and women to share experiences and discuss challenges that drive real change especially for women who are seeking mentorship programs for their growth into leadership roles can add a lot of value to an organization to foster inclusivity.

3. Skills building and hands-on operational training

Many women in mid leadership roles in supply chain don’t have operational experience which is usually the building blocks for roles in supply chain. If these women can be provided with structured training or support to gain knowledge on basic warehouse operations, they then can add this basic knowledge on to their decisions for their strategic roles.

4. Inclusive policies and unbiased hiring

Even though in today’s world gender discrimination is not as common as it used to be, organizations could still benefit from gender-neutral job descriptions, blind resume screening and unbiased interview panels. These inclusive hiring policies retain the equal balance of both men and women who frame teams and leadership roles within an organization.

Moving Forward Together

The importance of women breaking barriers in supply chain and the need for equal inclusion is a topic that has been in discussion for long, and many more research studies and articles will be written trying to inspire change, but what truly matters is action. Real progress will only happen when both men and women leaders actively implement strategies that foster growth, development, and leadership opportunities for anyone who has the potential to become a future leader.

As a leader I try to inspire change through my work in supply chain. If more leaders embraced this mindset more women would feel supported in breaking barriers and driving meaningful transformation in the industry.

It’s not about one gender over the other or offering special consideration, it’s about recognizing that diversity strengthens teams, enhances decisions, and drives better outcomes in supply chain management.

By shifting the focus toward collaboration, businesses can build high performing teams capable of leading and executing today’s technology driven and transformative supply chain projects.