The food industry has been seeing growth in the past few years when it comes to woman representation. In fact, there is a vast number of food industries that is doing a lot to increase the representation of women in the field. In fact, 90 percent out of 222 organisations surveyed in a study are committed to gender diversity.
Although it is wonderful to see that the majority of businesses have accepted the commercial case for gender diversity, it is still a strong place to start the conversation.
A 2015 study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that women represent an underutilized source of economic opportunity. Closing the gender wage gap in the US would not only is equitable in the broadest sense, but it would also increase the GDP by $4.3 trillion annually by 2025, or 19% more than the actual GDP under business.
Moreover, in Italy, the impact of the gender gap in the food industry is still large compared to the national average, composed of 44% female managers. And, as a mater of fact, out of 3200 managers, women represent just 16%.
According to Silvia Bagliani, general director of American multinational Mondelez International Italia, formerly known as Kraft Foods, the company has had in the past twenty years two female CEOs, more than 40% of female managers and 25% of female directors worldwide.
Another example, the CEO Marina Mastromauro of the family-owned company Granoro in Puglia which has chosen growth and development plans with decisions that have impacted the whole region. The company believes that the dilemma of women having to choose between job and family is not unique to the South; this issue affects women everywhere. The South needs the same recognition of its rights and equal chances as the North. And the newest tool to achieve this goal he has been the pink quotas.
Hence, raising awareness through focused initiatives that support female inclusion, employment, and empowerment in order to highlight the importance of women in the workforce and to maximise the great potential of the agri-food sector, is fundamental.
For instance, “Rewrite your story” is a campaign's catchphrase, which calls for women to take the lead once more by following a successful path of innovation and sustainable development.
Finally, the agri-food industry is directly tied to the identity of the Mediterranean region and has tremendous untapped potential in terms of innovation and growth, and has been essential in women's businesses and employment capabilities. According to Boston Consulting Group, despite receiving less funding than men, women's firms generate significantly higher revenues overall, more than twice as much for every dollar spent. Thus, overall women-led firms in the food industry have proven to be more capital-efficient, outperforming male-owned businesses in terms of return on investment.
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