According to Deloitte’s 2021 report: “Women In Manufacturing") (link: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/manufacturing/us-manu-women-in-manufacturing-2021.pdf), "less than 10 percent of women surveyed chose traditional manufacturing industries such as aerospace and defence, automotive, process, and industrial products as best in attracting and retaining women."

Another report (2020) by Deloitte ("Women At The Wheel") (link: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/manufacturing/deloitte-uk-women-at-the-wheel-autosurvey-2020.pdf), revealed that "automotive is behind other industries when it comes to gender diversity with only 20 per cent of the workforce and less than ten per cent of executives identifying as female."

To add to this, Sarah Noble from Deloitte MCS Limited said:

“Our research found that the majority of women have seen positive changes in attitudes towards female employees over the last five years. However, under-representation at a leadership level is still strongly felt. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated trends that were already emerging: normalising flexible working and bringing greater awareness around caring responsibilities. As automotive companies embrace these changes on a more permanent basis, it is also clear that gender diversity can also help gain competitive advantage. Focussing on recruitment, retention and opportunity will be key to making long-term change possible."

2021's "Winter Meetup" (which is being hosted by the Women Automotive Network, and is taking place virtually on the 23rd November 2021) promises to address diversity in a big way, by featuring talks from a wide range of automotive leaders, including: Roland Berger, Mercedes-Benz Canada, Peugeot UK, Volvo, Vodafone, Porsche, Flex, Bose, TE Connectivity, Boston Consulting Group, and more.

The event will be the 5th event in the series, and is expected to welcome 600+ automotive professionals from across the globe in one place (virtually).

“Diversity within the automotive industry is such a key issue, which is evident in the growth of the Network! In just two years, we have a built following of 6000+, with an average event attendance of 600 persons," said Stephanie May, the Commercial Director at the Women Automotive Network, and the organiser of this year's "Winter Meetup."

"But the real question still remains: what can actually be done? How can we increase both the number of women working in the automotive industry, and the retention rate? At the Women Automotive Network we don’t promise the answer, but what’s clear after 5 events, is that the scope for discussion, and opportunity is immense," added Stephanie.

Website Links:
https://womenautomotivesummit.com

About the Women Automotive Network:
The Women Automotive Network was launched by Worldwide Partnerships in Jan 2019: it kicked off with their debut event in Stuttgart in June, that year. The Network intends to provide a platform for diversity and technology discussions through their online community and events.

Press Contact: george@wwpartnerships.com
(Images, interviews, and comments are available upon request).