Manufacturing has a storytelling problem and it's costing the industry talent to the skilled trades.

Meaghan Ziemba, a technical writer with a master's degree who's been in the industry since 2008, got tired of watching male hosts ignore her suggestions to interview women in manufacturing.

So she started Mavens of Manufacturing during the 2020 pandemic and has since interviewed over 200 women, creating a movement that's now bringing Gen Z into the industry through TikTok.

We explore the broken rung theory keeping women stuck in their careers, why assumptions about family responsibilities block women from networking while men face no such barriers, and why communication breakdowns across genders, generations, and hierarchy levels keep shop floor workers out of strategic conversations where they could solve real problems.

Highlights

• The broken rung theory where missing that first promotion opportunity creates a stagnant career path especially for women in manufacturing.
• How assumptions about women's family responsibilities exclude them from networking opportunities while the same assumptions don't apply to men.
• Gen Z isn't lazy but purpose-driven and tech-savvy enough to expect immediate results while wanting meaningful work.
• Communication breakdowns happen across genders, generations, and hierarchy levels when shop floor workers get excluded from strategic conversations.

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