Meat Business Women study to track gender equality across meat industry

Meat Business Women has launched an international research project to determine the enablers and barriers to women working in the meat sector.

The research will track the number of women working in the meat industry globally and measure that against its 2020 report, which found that women made up only 36% of the global meat sector workforce.

The professional community for women working in the meat industry has called on businesses across the globe to participate by supplying basic employee data.

All information obtained during the study would be treated with the strictest confidence and stored anonymously, it said.

“In order for the meat industry to remain resilient and sustainable, it needs to understand how best to progress gender equality,” added Laura Ryan, chair of Meat Business Women.

This year’s report will form a key part of the agenda at the World Meat Congress in October and will deliver key information on the percentage of women employed at different organisational levels, alongside perspectives from leaders on gender equality and inclusion in the industry.

The organisation will also carry out focus groups with women to understand their experiences of working in the industry and case studies of organisations and initiatives that have made a positive difference to gender representation.

“It’s crucial that businesses play their part in this essential research by supplying basic employee data so that it can provide a comprehensive understanding of the ‘state of the nation,’” added Ryan.