Diversity & Inclusion of Women in Automotive Industry

Pushing Boundaries

In the age of cutting-edge technology taking progressive steps towards the inclusion of women from various socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds becomes very crucial. The women workforce in the industry needs a fair representation in terms of their skills to reach their full potential. A complex combination of past events has always led women to either join the sales or the marketing squad.

However, today women can be seen flourishing in leadership roles, which are making a major difference and in hindsight demonstrating the wide range of opportunities available. These working-class women are also successfully creating a gender balance while serving as role models for the younger generation of girls passionate about the motor industry.

Focus On Skill Development

There was once a widespread idea that only men were capable of doing difficult tasks in the heavy machinery department. This needs to change. Women professionals in the motor industry are not only thriving in leadership roles but also successfully handling manual activities such as wheel changing, balancing, and operating machines to maintain a vehicle. Companies are looking at increasing the number of women in core productive roles in automobile workshops.

Also, women who work across the shop floor, from the paint shop to the final assembly line, are able to perform a variety of roles based on their knowledge, skills, and experience. However, it really is difficult to obtain skill training and certification through formal channels in India due to a lack of sufficient training options.

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship's (MSDE) flagship scheme. The goal of this skill certification scheme is to allow a large number of Indian youth, male and female, to participate in industry-relevant skill training that would help them secure a better lifestyle.

Encourage Mentoring

Female professionals should be encouraged to work shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts from an early age. Previously, the lack of access to the internet may have impacted who enters the tech industry. Today, with the advent of modern technology anyone with an interest in the field can enroll in automobile courses and make the necessary changes early on in their lives.

For women, specifically, formal as well as informal mentorship and sponsorship programmes are the most effective strategies a firm can use to assist, attract, and retain women in the sector. Women often have to be encouraged to pursue their career ambitions early on and what best way to do it than educating them about the core benefits and advancements of the field. As a result, automotive industry leaders should have a deeper grasp of what makes the industry so appealing to women and look for ways to harness specific concepts that could assist women to join the industry.

Addressing the Critical Factors

There are no doubts about some underlying factors that have aided the automotive industry to be essentially known as a male-dominated industry. Women should not feel like there are different standards of performance set for them as compared to men. And, therefore, automotive giants should strive toward making the workplace culture welcoming to all, regardless of gender. Despite these roadblocks, women professionals with their intuitive capacities and abilities have always been welcomed and continue to have an increasing demand in the industry.

Impact

From an early age, girls are conditioned to make negative assumptions about what they can and cannot do. Societal expectations and perceptions of what fields are “female” versus “male” can also harshly impact for resulting in certain fields to be "dominated by men". However, in recent times women-led businesses have provided momentum to the economy. India has 432 million working-age women and 13.5 –15.7 million women-owned businesses that provide direct employment to 22–27 million people.[1]Some automakers have been able to hire 33% of women employees and are working steadily to improve this ratio.

Making Good Use of Technology At Hand

Automotive companies are taking advantage of the rising opportunities for innovation, and transformation brought about by digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Along with the move toward electric, automated driving, and connected cars as well as shifting consumer preferences. However, auto businesses should acquire skilled experts with deep, diverse skills and expertise from the broadest talent pool possible to build a competitive advantage in this increasingly complicated environment.

Vision for the Future 

The automotive industry is making diversification a priority. A balanced number of men and women would demand a spur in innovation with a wide range of experiences and perspectives. With the surge in petrol and diesel prices all across the country, joining forces would only bring in opportunities and potential change. Plans are already in place to recruit and employ talented and skillful women to bridge the gender gap. With the steady shift of the automotive industry toward automated driver assistance technology, electric vehicles, and connected cars, women's options are expanding daily. By offering alternative viewpoints and problem-solving methodologies, gender diversity on boards will help promote the diversity of ideas.

(This is a contributory article from Arindam Lahiri, CE0, Automotive Skills Development Council - India)