Women in Logistics

James C. Johnson

Many companies have a strong desire for more female executives for two reasons: not enough competent males to fill the management positions and a need to better understand women customers.

In recent years women have accounted for more than half of all college undergraduate students in the United States. In 1999, women earned 57 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States, compared to 43 percent in 1970 and less than 24 percent in 1950. [1] Many women have majored in business or related areas and are now working in management positions. While there have been a limited number of academic studies that have examined women in the transportation/logistics industry, [2] none has asked women logisticians the two significant questions contained in this survey regarding the impact of gender on their careers.

A number of recent books written by women have noted that many females, although they have entered the work force, are not feeling fulfilled in the business world. [3] This situation is also indicated by a public opinion poll conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. In 1973, 41 percent of women workers reported being "very satisfied" with their work. By 1994, this percentage had declined to 26 percent. [4] There are many reasons for this situation:

* Not enough time for family obligations. [5]

* Men ignore the ideas of women because their male egos are threatned. [6]

* Sexual harassment in the workplace. [7]

* Work itself has proven to not be satisfying. [8]

* Excessive stress in the workplace. [9]

* The need to conform in the corporate work environment. [10]

Because of these and, undoubtedly, other frustrations, women managers are opting to start their own businesses. The National Foundation for Women Business Owners reported that female-owned businesses increased by 42 percent from 1992 to 1999. [11]

There are two reasons many companies have a strong desire to have more female executives: there are not enough competent males to fill all the management positions and the need to better understand women consumers. [12] As a result, many companies that have not been successful in retaining and promoting women have started aggressive actions to correct this deficiency. [13] However, it should be noted that many women have achieved very senior management positions in America's most prestigious companies. [14]

Research Methodology

To better understand the management issues noted above, a sample of female logistics and transportation professionals was surveyed. A systematic random sample of 500 female logisticians was selected from the Council of Logistics Management Membership Directory. Consultants or professors at colleges or universities were eliminated. A questionnaire and a letter urging participation was sent to each of the 500 logisticians. Approximately 10 days later, a thank you letter was sent to the respondents, and a reminder letter, along with another copy of the questionnaire, was sent to those who had not responded.

Altogether, usable responses were received from 146 female professionals, representing 146/500 = .292, or 29.2 percent of the initial sample. Considering the professional status of those contacted, this response rate was very good. Responses from these 146 female logisticians form the database for the survey results.

In terms of respondent demographics, 13.2 percent were under age 30, 34.7 percent were 30 to 39, 41.7 percent were 40 to 49, and 10.4 percent were age 50 and over. Looking at education, 19.2 percent of the respondents had not graduated from college, 42.4 percent were college graduates, and 38.4 percent had graduate degrees. Finally, in terms of annual income, 22.5 percent of the respondents had an income close to $40,000; 33.3 percent--$60,000; 15.9 percent--$80,000; 13.8 percent--$100,000, and 14.5 percent had an income of $120,000 or more.

Greatest Gender-Related Career Surprise

Each female respondent was asked, "What has been the one greatest surprise that you have encountered in your career because of your gender?" The respondents' answers were categorized into seven general themes, each of which will be examined in the descending order that they appeared. (There were 11 respondents--7.5 percent of the total--that either did not respond to this question or who answered in such a way their responses were categorized as miscellaneous.) Representative respondent comments are included so the reader can gain some measure of the character of the statements.

Women Not Respected As Professionals

Fifty-four women (37.0 percent) stated their greatest gender-related surprise in the transportation/logistics area has been the lack of respect because they are women. This frustration was noted more than twice as often as any other response to this question.

As a female, I am not taken seriously. Customers refuse to believe I am the manager and insist on speaking with the real boss.

How men in transportation still tend to talk down to you (for example, honey and babe) and their lack of respect for women's mental abilities.

I am constantly being patronized; men in supply chain management are sure we are tokens hired for affirmative action programs, hence, we know nothing about transportation and logistics. Many also believe women do not have the mental capacity to learn this area.

People treat you differently. I used to believe the more education a person had the less likely they would be sexist. I now know that some men, regardless of their level of education, believe all aspects of distribution are the domain of men. They seem really perturbed that females are entering this male bastion.

The fact that gender does matter. I naively believed skill, dedication, and knowledge were all that counted. I was wrong.

Male coworkers and managers still associate women with clerical work and do not assign challenging workloads or career paths to women, which prevents our equal opportunity for career advancement.

No Discrimination

The second greatest surprise was they had encountered no discrimination based on gender. This point was made by 26 women or 17.8 percent of the survey participants.

I have experienced no discrimination based on gender. I have spent my entire career at the same company, and I have progressed from intern (non-paid) to entry level, to supervisor, to general manager, to director, and now assistant vice president.

I'm surprised that I'm treated like one of the guys and my opinions are valued. I've heard about the glass ceiling, but I have never experienced it. Generally, women's magazines have a poor me attitude that I don't think is very beneficial to women readers.

I really never felt my gender played a role in my acceptance as a professional, and I work in a male-dominated company and industry.

In my company, performance counts and not gender. I have been very pleasantly surprised that this issue is not a concern at my company.

Acceptance into a male-dominated field has been easier than anticipated. Once you prove yourself as being knowledgeable and capable, most men in this field give you their respect and support.

Great Advancement Opportunity

Fifteen women (10.2 percent) stated their greatest gender-related surprise was the promotion opportunities available to women in the transportation/logistics industry.

Because I'm a woman in a male-dominated industry, I'm different. People pay attention when I speak, and people know who I am. It's nice.

Companies now want to advance women into logistics management to even out the ratios. I have been in two key management roles (partly due to gender, I believe) in the last 2-1/2 years.

Because I'm unique, people listen more when I speak. Top management at my company is very committed to gender equality, and the opportunities for women in logistics have never been better.

Many men do value and respect gender differences, and they seek out the female perspective. I now believe it is a great advantage to be a women in such a male-dominated industry as logistics.

Extent of Old-Boy Network

The fourth most common gender-based surprise was the extent of the old-boy network in the transportation/logistics industry. This problem was noted by 14 female respondents (9.6 percent).

That an old-boy network really does exist. I started working in a high-tech aspect of the economy where what was respected was what you knew, not your gender. I have been shocked to find I have been left out of meetings and other projects because I am a woman, hence, an outsider in this male-dominated aspect of business."

There are men at the top in logistics, and they hire and promote managers who are like them. There really is a boys club at my company, and only men need apply if you desire promotions.

It is so hard to get your abilities noticed. Why? Because men favor men, and hence, men get the high-profile extra assignments that I am excluded from. Therefore, men are promoted much more frequently, because they have had the opportunity to perform in high-visibility projects.

Excluded From Socialization

Ten female respondents (6.9 percent) stated their greatest gender-related surprise was the extent they were excluded from socialization in the work environment.

How left out and isolated I feel at meetings. People listen when I speak, but at breaks, no one talks to me. It is like I'm not really there and they wish I weren't there.

Being excluded from social activities. Unless wives are invited, I rarely get invited to go out for drinks after work, for example.

I work in a male-dominated workplace. In my company, men seem ill at ease around women, so I am not asked to go to lunch with my coworkers. I feel very isolated from other managers. Work in this environment is not fun.

Women Are Better Managers

When asked about their greatest gender-related surprise, ten women (6.9 percent) stated that women are better managers than their male counterparts.

I've managed to outperform more than three-fourths of my male counterparts, partly because females tend to be more organized and more meticulous in keeping track of details and more productive in sales calls due to maternal instincts. We have a need to take care of our customers, and we work harder to do so.

I feel I can assess people and situations better than my male colleagues. Call it female intuition.

Because women have a more nurturing manner, both men and women open up more with women, and I really get to know my employees better. Since I really know each worker's strengths and weaknesses, I can better assign subordinates to positions that use their strengths or help them to develop in areas where they need to improve.

Extent of Sexist Behavior

The last gender-based surprise, noted with any frequency, was the extent of sexist behavior that takes place in the work environment. This problem was stated by six women (4.1 percent).

The amount of outright sexist behavior and comments made by male colleagues in the presence of professional females.

I am amazed professional men will tell such crude jokes, of which women are frequently the object of the attempt at humor. Generally, women are portrayed as lazy, dumb, or trying to sleep their way to promotions. My greatest surprise is that these alleged jokes are told in my presence.

Table 1 summarizes the greatest gender-related career surprises noted by our female logistics managers. It was a disappointment that more than one-third of the survey respondents declared their greatest frustration was the lack of respect from their supervisors. While this finding was disconcerting, the next two most common responses indicated women did not feel they were discriminated against, and more than 10 percent stated their greatest surprise was the extent of their career advancement opportunities.

Additional problem areas included the extent of the old-boy network, women's exclusion from socialization opportunities, and the extent of the sexist behavior in the work environment. On balance, women reported more negative gender-related issues than positive ones.

How Men Should Manage Women

The second question asked the female respondents, "If you could tell a male supervisor one thought about managing a female subordinate, what would it be?" The response to this question can be categorized into five general categories or themes. (There were six responses--4. 1 percent of the total--that were either left blank, or the respondent's answer was so unique we categorized it as miscellaneous.) Each of the five general themes will be examined in the descending order of frequency that they appeared. Again, representative comments are included.

Treat Women As Professionals, Not As Women

By far the most common response to the issue of supervising a female manager was to treat her as a professional, not as a woman. The idea that women should receive exactly the same treatment as men was stated by 62 female respondents or 42.5 percent of the survey participants.

Treat her equally, and she will be able to learn the ropes by watching her fellow workers. Special treatment, whether positive or negative, makes it difficult for her to earn the respect of her peers.

Treat a woman exactly as you would a man. Gender shouldn't enter into how one person treats another. Treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

Don't patronize us. Treat us as equals. That's all we ask.

Manage her exactly as you would any male: give her equal challenges, coaching, and opportunity.

Treat all subordinates equally; respect people for their knowledge and contributions and don't be patronizing or condescending.

Forget gender! If a gender neutral environment can be established in the workplace, a professional attitude prevails.

Treat women as you do men. Do not look at them differently because of gender. Treat them as you would have others treat your own daughter.

Respect Women's Differences

Thirty women (20.5 percent) stated their best advice to males who supervise females is to remember that women are different than me--not better, just different. They noted that women are more emotional than men, and male supervisors need to understand this difference. They also noted that women managers like to discuss issues more than men do, and they need to receive more verbal recognition than their male counterparts.

Women work very hard and need verbal recognition more than men do. A kind word goes a long way.

We are more emotional than men. Logic sometimes is less important to us than men; we depend more on intuition and emotions. We need to receive recognition and respect from our superiors, and we definitely need to feel part of the team.

Women are more emotional than men. Male supervisors must learn to live with this difference. We need to be talked to more often, we need more recognition than men, and we must be continually reminded when we are reprimanded for making a mistake to not take it so personally.

Women tend to lack confidence/self-esteem in comparison with male colleagues. Male supervisors must recognize this difference and help their female subordinates.

Men tend to be loners. Women like to socialize at work more than men do. Neither position is better than the other, but they are different! Men must learn to respect both types of individuals.

Do Not Overmanage Women

The third most common advice to males supervising females is to not overmanage them, because women often approach a problem from a different perspective than a man. Thus, men should not tell women exactly how to solve a problem; just tell them what the problem is and let the female manager express herself in terms of solving the quandary. This idea was stated by 26 respondents (17.8 percent).

When managing women, look at the accomplishments, not the methods or approach used to get there. Women are more intuitive, social, and nurturing and frequently use these skills to solve difficult problems in ways that would baffle men.

Women are problem preventers; men are problem solvers. Since the problem doesn't show up in the first place because of women's actions, we get less recognition than men who step in when there is a crisis and solve it. Male managers should talk more to women and find out what they are really doing.

When managing females, men must take the time to ask female employees their thoughts about problems. Women analyze situations differently than men and generally have unique thoughts and ideas about how to make the logistics function operate more efficiently.

Women are less linear than men, and generally consider the human aspect of all problems more seriously than men, which is often the key to the problem. Male managers must be open to women's thought processes and be willing to listen and learn from them.

Do Not Assume Families Are More Important Than Careers

Thirteen women (8.9 percent) stated their most important advice to men when supervising females is to not assume women believe their families are more important than their careers. While this may be true in some cases, supervisors should not assume that, since this presumption is generally not made of male subordinates.

Offer a female the same opportunities you would offer a male. Too often supervisors will assume a woman wouldn't want an opportunity due to kids, husband, and so forth. Let the woman decide for herself. Behavior like this perpetuates the glass ceiling.

Assign the travel, work, responsibility, and so forth as if you were dealing with males. The likely results will surprise you--the acceptance, dedication, commitment, and so forth are there.

I am not fragile. Give me the same opportunities to succeed or fall that you would give to male colleagues.

Don't assume she will work less hours or less effectively because of family obligations.

Be Flexible with Working Mothers

The last advice from women to men, made with any frequency, was to be understanding and flexible with working mothers. Nine female respondents (6.2 percent) noted that male managers must be more flexible when managing women who are also child caregivers at home.

There is a difference in sensitivity across gender. Men must develop more compassion and empathy for a female employee who is struggling with children, homemaking, spouses in college, caregiving to elderly parents; is a single parent; and so forth. This is especially true if the male supervisor has a wife who does not work outside the family."

A working mother has more constraints and pressure than most males. Be flexible!

Try to empathize with working moms. We have far more stress on us each day than does a male, especially one who is married with a stay-at-home wife.

The question of how men should manage female subordinates is summarized in Table 2. As would be expected, substantial differences were found in the answers. By far the most common response was women managers should be treated exactly the same as their male counterparts. However, three of the next four most common answers to this query declared female managers are different than men--not better or worse--just different. These respondents stated male supervisors must become aware of these differences and be accommodating.

It was not surprising the female respondents had such a range of responses, which undoubtedly reflect the work environments they have encountered. This indicates that, while many women reported no gender-related problems, more did so because their work environment is still somewhat hostile to female managers.

Managerial Implications

Three managerial actions emerge from this study. First, male supervisors must treat their female subordinate managers with the respect and dignity all professionals deserve. All logistics managers should attend a 1- or 2-day (or other appropriate) training session to assist supervisors to become more sensitized to a work environment where women will continue to account for a large percentage of the managerial work force. This training session should also address the issue of inappropriate sexist behavior in the workplace.

A second important issue that emerged from this study is the extent women managers perceive they are excluded from both professional and social activities. Female managers believe this exclusion limits their growth opportunities because they are not as well known as their male counterparts. Women managers want the chance to be included in the old-boy network and partake in traditionally male-dominated social activities. Sensitizing men to be more inclusive of women in social activities could be a separate training session, or it could be incorporated into the training session discussed above.

The last managerial initiative is the need for each manager--both male and female--to be aware of the professional goals and aspirations of their female subordinates. More than 40 percent of the survey participants indicated they wanted to be treated the same as their male counterparts. However, a larger percentage of female respondents stated women are different than men, and these dissimilarities must be recognized by male supervisors and accommodated, if possible. Once the male supervisor really understands the female subordinate, most or all of the concerns summarized in Table 2 should vanish or, at least, lessen, assuming the supervisor is committed to gender diversity.

Conclusion

The research identified both positive and negative aspects regarding how female logistics managers perceive their work environment. The first step in making the workplace more equitable and accommodating for women managers is to recognize that female managers have expressed a number of gender concerns. This study should encourage logistics managers--both male and female--to begin a dialogue concerning these issues. Once these problems are recognized and examined, fair-minded managers committed to gender diversity will be able to ameliorate, if not solve, these gender-based concerns.

Dr Johnson is professor of Marketing and Transportation at St Cloud State University. Ms McClure is a senior research associate at St Cloud State University. Dr Schenider is professor of Marketing and Marketing Research at St Cloud State University.

Notes

(1.) B. Koerner, "Where the Boys Aren't," U.S. News and World Report, 8 Feb 99, 8, 47.

(2.) R. Andre, "A Comparison of Career Status and Attitudes Among Men and Women in Logistics," Logistics and Transportation Review, 1995, Vol 31, No. 2, 179-190; M. Cooper and B. La Londe, "1997 Career Patterns of Women in Logistics," 1997 Council of Logistics Management Annual Conference Proceedings, Oak Park, Illinois, 1998, 93-112; P. Lynagh, P. Murphy, and R. Poist, "Career-Related Perspectives Regarding Women in Logistics: A Comparative Analysis," Transportation Journal, Fall 1998, 35-42, and P. Lynagh, P. Murphy, and R. Poist, "Women's Views Regarding Employment in Transportation and Logistics: A Status Report," Journal of Transportation Law, Logistics, and Policy, Winter 1998, 166-181.

(3.) S. Faludi, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, New York: Crown Publishers, 1991; S. Hardesty and N. Jacobs, Success and Betrayal: The Crisis of Women in Corporate America, New York: Franklin Watts, 1986; E. MeKenna, When Work Doesn't Work Anymore: Women, Work, and Identity, New York: Delacrote, 1997; and J. Peters, When Mothers Work: Loving Our Children without Sacrificing Ourselves, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1997.

(4.) A. Aronson, "A Shaky Economy or Just Frazzled Nerves?" Working Women, Apr 95, 16.

(5.) R. Abelson, "Balancing Work and Family Is a Difficult Burden for Women," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 17 Nov 97, D3; N. Deogun, "Top PepsiCo Executive Picks Family Over Job," The Wall Street Journal, 24 September 1997, B1, B14; K. Hammonds, "Work and Family," Business Week, 15 Sep 97, 96-99; D. Lewis, "Disenchanted Women Give Up Careers to Stay Home," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6 Apr 98, D7; B. Morris, "Is Your Family Wrecking Your Career?" Fortune, 17 Mar 97, 70-90; T. Parker-Pope and K. Pope, "Wake-Up! There's No Time to Sleep," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 16 Jan 00, D7; S. Shellenbarger, "More Execs Resigning for Family Reasons," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 15 Mar 98, 5; S. Shellenbarger, "Workplace Trends Include More Time Off," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2 Jan 00; 3, D1, D7; and J. Tevlin, "Report Says Workers Need More Family Time", Minneapolis Star Tribune, 15 Apr 98, A1, A11.

(6.) S. Hamm, "Why Women Are So Invisible," Business Week, 25 Aug 97, 136; K. Reardon, "The Memo Every Woman Keeps in Her Desk," Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr 93, 16-22; and R. Schrank, "Two Women, Three Men on a Raft," Harvard Business Review, May-Jun 94, 68-80.

(7.) M. Horn, "Sex and the CEO," U.S. News and World Report, 6 Jul 98, 32-40; M. Lavelle, "The New Rules Of Sexual Harassment," U.S. News and World Report, 6 Jul 98, 30-31; M. Maremont, "Abuse of Power," Business Week, 13 May 19, 86-98; and W. Symonds, S. Hamm, and G. DeGeorge, "Sex on the Job," Business Week, 16 Feb 98, 30-31.

(8.) B. Morris, "Executive Women Confront Midlife Crisis," Fortune, 18 Sep 95, 60-86.

(9.) A. Faircloth, "The Class of '83," Fortune, 12 Oct 96, 126-130, and T. Schellhardt, "Company Memo to Stressed-Out Employees: 'Deal With It'," The Wall Street Journal, 2 Oct 96, Bl, B9.

(10.) K. Labich, "Kissing off Corporate America," Fortune, 20 Feb 95, 44-62, and S. Shellenbarger, "Conflicts Between Personal Life, Work Aren't Just Family Matter," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2 Jun 97, D3. (Women in Logistics continued from page 7)

(11.) R. Miller, L. Cohn, H. Gleckman, P. Dwyer, and A. Palmer, "How Prosperity Is Reshaping the American Economy," Business Week, 14 Feb 00, 104.

(12.) F. Schwartz, "Women As a Business Imperative," Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr 92, 105-113, and D. Thomas and R. Ely, "Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity," Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct 96, 79-90.

(13.) J. Byrne, "Jack: A Close-Up Look At How America's #1 Manager Runs GE," Business Week, 8 Jun 98, 105; K. Hammonds and G. Saveri, "Accountants Have Lives, Too, You Know," Business Week, 23 Feb 98, 88-90; J. Lublin, "Coopers & Lybrand Tackles Turnover by Letting Its Workers Have a Life," The Wall Street Journal, 19 Sep 97, R4; T. Parker-Pope, "Procter & Gamble Makes Pitch to Retain Female Staff," The Wall Street Journal, 9 Sep 98, B1, B6; A. Saltzman, "Companies in a Family Way," U.S. News and World Report, 12 May 97, 64-73; F. Schwartz "Management Women and the New Facts of Life," Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 89, 65-76; and J. Useem, "Welcome to the New Company Town," Fortune, 10 Jan 00, 62-70.

(14.) S. Apgar, C. Meyer, and J. Friendmann, "Women: Delivering the Results Is the Secret to Success," Minneapolis Star Tribune, 27 Jul 97, A1, A14; S. Earley, "What's Taking So Long?" Corporate Report Minnesota, Jul 97, 32-50; J. Guyon, "The Global Glass Ceiling and Ten Women Who Broke Through It," Fortune, 12 Oct 98, 102-103; L. Himelstein and S. Forest, "Breaking Through," Business Week, 17 Feb 97, 64-70; D. Meyerson and J. Snyder, "A Modest Manifesto for Shattering the Glass Ceiling," Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 00, 126-136; P. Sellers, "The 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business," Fortune, 12 Oct 98, 76-98; and J. White and C. Hymowitz, "Watershed Generation of Women Executives Is Rising to the Top," The Wall Street Journal, 10 Feb 97, A1, A6.

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