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Research and advisory firm Gartner shared a summary of its 2020 Women in Supply Chain Survey late last month, showing that while women continue to comprise a marginally higher portion of the supply chain workforce, those gains haven’t always translated to more women in advanced leadership positions.
Gartner’s survey of 177 supply chain professionals, mostly in North America, conducted in January and February, found that 39% of the industry’s workforce is comprised of women. That’s identical to last year’s survey, up from 37% in 2017 and 2018 and up from 35% in 2016 — the first year of the survey.
Looking at the leadership level, the percentage of women in supply chain officer positions increased six percentage points from last year to 17%, a mark that’s been up and down over the last few years but a notable overall improvement from 9% in 2016. The percentage of women in supply chain vice president and senior director roles fell seven points this year to 21%, and the percentage of women in director roles declined four points to 23%.
Meanwhile, at the low end of the corporate ladder, the percentage of women in supply chain first-line manager and supervisor roles registered 31% on this year’s survey, a mark that has held steady over the last five years (30% in 2016, 2017, and 2018; 33% in 2019).
“The increase in women executive leaders over the past year is a positive sign, however, the survey showed that women don’t consistently make it through the pipeline,” said Dana Stiffler, Gartner’s Supply Chain Practice vice president analyst. “Lack of progress is not something the industry can afford at the moment. Supply chain’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recovery is crucial, with lives and livelihoods at stake. This is a pivotal time for many women in mid-level and senior management positions.”
The 2020 survey found that 63% of respondents indicated they are being proactive in recruiting women into the supply chain workforce and build career pipelines.
Image Credit: Amy Hirschi / Unsplash
