Growth in the logistics industry may stagnate or drop due to inadequate participation of women in the sector, a new study by lobby group Trademark East Africa shows.

The study, released in June reveals that 68 per cent of female employees in the logistics sector find their working conditions very poor while only 13 per cent find them good.

Locally, only 20.5 per cent of employees in the logistics sector are women, a statistic that is below the one-third participation requirement by the law.

The story is replicated throughout the East African region with only Rwanda achieving slightly above the one-third rule, at 33.3 per cent, while Tanzania and Uganda stagnate at 15.8 per cent, while Burundi trails behind at 15.6 per cent women in the sector.

“East Africa’s logistics industry faces a significant skills gap and the region could make up on much needed skills by enhancing women’s participation. We need to get to that level where more women take up relevant training courses and eventually these jobs so that we all grow the economies,” TradeMark Africa director of trade logistics Abhishek Sharma said in a statement to the Star.

Collectively, the East Africa region only has 19.73 per cent of its women in the logistics industry with men taking up 80.21 per cent of the jobs.

According to the study, the pipeline of young women to the industry is very narrow, a situation likely to make the sector worsen as women in the country are failing to enroll in logistics-related training.

Discrimination at the work place unsupportive industry and work environment, sexual harassment, cultural and societal barriers, information and awareness were outlined as the key challenges that hinder the participation of women in this industry.

The road sector performed poorest in the report, due to poor working conditions such as long working hours, lack of hygiene and no restrooms put up along highways and general security for women.

Gender stereotypes and prejudices about what women can do and what men can do are also part of the challenges faced by women in the male -dominated sector.

Kenya’s economy in general could greatly benefit if women participated in the logistics industry as women enhance workplace diversity by providing unique job skills.

The report enumerates some of the challenges faced by women including discrimination in the workplace, an unsupportive work environment, sexual harassment, negative cultural and societal barriers and a lack of information and awareness on the subject.

To address these challenges, sharma said there is need for logistics firms to forge partnerships with relevant stakeholders so that appropriate policy frameworks are put in place.

Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization Adan Mohammed challenged local companies to involve more women in their managerial positions in order to boost growth, during the launch of a private sector initiative to increase job creation in the country.

Source: The Star

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.