Dive Brief:
- Despite continuing efforts, purchasing associations with female members reportedly do little to encourage women's participation and engagement, often deepening the industry's gender parity.
- An recent survey of membership within purchasing associations revealed only 20-35% procurement professionals in most groups are women, Procurious reported Thursday.
- Conferences, one-to-one mentoring and microsites can help address the gap by highlighting women's achievements in the sector.
Dive Insight:
Is the supply chain talent crisis self-created?
A recent survey of Women in the Supply Chain found that many companies don’t actively recruit or promote women, and that they therefore remain an undervalued resource for expertise and innovation. A failure to develop or recruit fresh perspectives within the industry leads to a downturn in creativity, and the resulting stasis. Although this is labeled a "talent crisis," it's more a crisis of recognition of value and range of skills.
The women that thrive within the field believe it's a perfect setting for the kinds of skills women are generally called upon to develop, such as creating cohesion and coordinating diverse tasks or teams. Procurement leaders and logistics heads would certainly benefit from an infusion of this kind of capability, and it's likely to be right there in front of them, looking for a chance.
