Now that International Women’s Day (March 8) is approaching,  we decided to create a special post where we share the opinion of some of the many successful women of Mexicom Group. We also talk about the challenges and growth of the sector and the position of women in an industry with a greater male presence.

What is commemorated on March 8?

March 8, International Women’s Day is a date that is commemorated in many countries around the world. When women from all continents, often separated by national and international borders, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together on this day, they can look back on a tradition of no less than ninety years of struggle for the equality, justice, peace and development.

Are there women working in the freight shipping, freight forwarding and logistics industry?

When we think of the logistics department, storage, and freight transportation, the first image that comes to mind is that of drivers or workers carrying heavy loads. But, like their counterparts in many other professions and businesses, women have steadily advanced within the logistics and supply chain industry over the past decades.

Whether as fleet managers, drivers, businesswomen, accountants, distribution station clerks, women are gradually making their way in the freight forwarding and logistics industry.

Growth in the participation of women in the industry

According to a survey by the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) is America’s leading industry association for women in the trucking industry, with respondents from 10 different countries, the participation of women in the Transportation industry is as follows:

What’s the Percentage of Women in Key Roles in the Transportation Industry?

• C-Suite Executives 33.8%
• Company Leaders 39.6%
• Females Serving on Boards of Directors 31%
• Women in HR/Talent Management 74.9%
• Women in Technician Roles 3.7%
• Women in Profession Driver Roles 13.7%
• Women in Dispatcher Roles 44.7%
• Women in Safety Roles 40.5%

Keep reading: Women In Trucking

At present, in Mexico the participation of women has grown in many economic activities, including transport, in which in 2021, women participated with 14.2% of the total occupation according to the annual transport survey.

According to the Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada, women only represent about 3% of the trucking workforce in Canada. Moreover, in 2022, a study found that only 19% of professional women said they would consider leadership opportunities in the transportation and logistics industry.

With the advancement of technologies, today companies are more prepared and with great opportunities for growth, which is why they increasingly require more prepared workers that meets the needs that are required. It is here where the role of women becomes fundamental, since there is a growth of job opportunities for them. With this change, it is normal for women to venture into unusual industries that were completely controlled by men, such is the case of logistics.

Thanks to the fact that women have struggled to have equal opportunities and that society has been accepting the incursion of women in some aspects where they had no access before, today we have the winner of the twentieth edition of the National Prize for Logistics “Tameme Award” Claudia Núñez Rosales, for her contributions through the development of her career in the Supply Chain and Logistics, which for more than 20 years has fought against taboos and has been shown the importance of women in the world.

The essential contribution of women

The incorporation of women in Logistics makes it possible to improve the professional competence of the sector, in addition to enriching it with the incorporation of organized, problem-solving skills and work by objectives with a point of view that was not available before.

Women are attributed many qualities to contribute in the logistics sector but we can highlight the main ones:

• They are able of doing two things at the same time: in this industry you need to do lots of activities at the same time.
• Organized: they see everything in its place and in advance, no one better to say how to take advantage of a trip, a truck or how to optimize a warehouse and time.
• Empathic; understand the situation that surrounds us, supporting all day and helping customers, colleagues and suppliers.
• Persevering: always in search of the common goal.
• Resilience: ability to respond favorably to risk events, allowing them to build a strong and positive life in the face of adversity.

According to some studies and research, women are a bit more intuitive and organized. This adds up in favor of the activities that need to be carried out for logistics processes. To be honest, these characteristics go beyond gender, because in the end it is about having the necessary empathy to understand and meet the needs of partners, customers and employees.

The future of women in the logistics industry

Some of the main challenges that women have to face in the logistics and foreign trade industry are: changing the paradigm of corporations, mostly with management positions held by men, it is necessary to seek to increase the participation of women entrepreneurs in the logistics supply chain.

At Mexicom Group we believe in everyone’s skills and knowledge, as well as in the growth of women, our team guide you through the entire cross-border freight transportation process. Each person at Mexicom will continue working to meet all your needs and logistical concerns as a team to demonstrate that “Logistics is not everything, but it is in everything” breaking the paradigms and demonstrating that women are a key part of any Industry.

Women from Mexicom Group share their experiences working in the Freight Transportation Industry

Ana Laura Medina

(Translated from Spanish) “For many years the transport  of goods  was a business only for men, but thanks to the openness and the excellent work that women do, they have shown that they can participate in any area of ​​this sector, today we can find them participating in all areas such as Drivers, forklift drivers, mechanics, directors, ….

At Mexicom Group, women are an important part of this group, we are valued for the work we do and we have the same growth opportunities as anyone else within the company. It is a great satisfaction to work with such talented women at Mexicom Group. “

Fani Zayuri Barrios

(Translated from spanish)

“At the beginning of my student life I wondered how far a woman could go in a job like ours that at some point in history was considered to be only for men and even in which we still face discrimination today. I remember that during a school project investigating about female participation in the industry there was little information and it only went up to a certain level stopping and not being able to go further.

However, after some time has passed and throughout my professional growth I have shared with colleagues who over time have become friends and teachers in this industry who, learning and teaching, have been growing professionally with whom we have been part of the growth of our participation as women in logistics.

As of today we have managed to make room for ourselves in this field, demonstrating that we are capable of going further wherever we place ourselves. It is gratifying to find colleagues coordinating shipments, being experts in customs law, dispatching units, and working side by side with operators. , we are no longer limiting ourselves to the administrative areas, perhaps due to the lack of manpower but little by little we have shown that we can contribute and there are no limits.

Last year a company the size of TMM appointed Vanessa Serrano as CEO, Perhaps the news should not have carried so much weight, but I think it clearly shows that we are no longer in what at the beginning was “a man’s job” and we can contribute and achieve great achievements.

Bearing all this in mind, what is the role of women in the logistics or transportation industry? There are no more limits, we have to continue working with our best effort to continue making our way in this captivating environment full of constant learning and willing for continuous improvement.”

Silvia Martínez

(Translated from spanish)

“Mexicom is a company that has given the opportunity not only to women, but also to women with other types of knowledge outside of logistics: Not only is it inclusive, but it also allows them to learn about this incredible world of commerce, as well as It gives us the opportunity to grow without putting limits on the genre. It is a pride to boast that Mexicom has Managers, Supervisors and Project Leaders who are women.”

Zulay Tirado

(Translated from spanish)

“I joined Mexicom Logistics on September 18, 2012. It was a great challenge, because for the first time I was going to work for a logistics company, and also a small family company.

I believe that small companies bring great experiences as a consequence and this has been the case throughout these almost 11 years at Mexicom Logistics. A daily learning, where every day technology is imposed.

Applying my accounting experience was easy for me, but it was applying it to logistics, an exciting new field.

I started part time in accounting, and we were only 6 employees. Beautiful moments where every $ spent counted. There were no goal achievements, no KPIs to meet where the end of the year result was awaited with expectation and was celebrated with great joy.

Over the years the company grew and so did the volume of work and it was then that I started full-time, having the responsibility of director of the administrative department of the group. Where now budget is prepared. The objectives and KPIS are in the first row.

Where the responsibility has increased day by day and although my responsibility at TransMexicom is less, at Mexicom Logistics and Mexicom USA  it has increased.

Even if we don’t want to, we have a hierarchical Organization Chart. We also have Directors by department, Managers, supervisors, etc. , We have grown in such a way that now it is no longer just Mexicom Logistics, now it is Grupo Mexicom.

Where my functions now include Administration, Accounting and Human Resources, not only from Mexicom Logistics, but also from Mexicom USA, the perfect combination of woman and profession.

As a professional woman we have the ability to resolve conflicts, make decisions, manage, administrator, be wives, mothers, housewives, professionals and always with a smile.

 

Thank you and happy women’s day”

Yessica Aguilar

(Translated from spanish)

“I think it is important to point out that the transportation industry has always been classified as a job for men, and it is up to women in this part to decentralize that idea.
Working together with men and women makes the entire process easier, but dealing with suppliers who are closed to this mentality becomes a challenge.”

Lizeth Lara

(Translated from spanish)

“Throughout these 6 years of experience in my field of accounting/administration, I have had the opportunity to work in various fields such as real estate, cooperative societies, financial institutions, and other business sectors. This is my first time working in the field of Logistics. In my nearly 10 months working for Mexicom USA, I have felt that I have a lot of learning and growth opportunities. Despite entering this company without prior experience in the field, I believe I have been able to develop my skills and continuously learn to better implement them in my role, thus growing alongside the company.

However, it is important to highlight that the experience of other women in this field, especially in the past, has not been an easy path. It has not always been as “simple” for women to reach the positions we have today, and it has not been a matter of luck. This undermines all the hard work that lies behind it. It has been a long journey of struggle for all women to demonstrate how much we are worth and what we can achieve when we set our minds to it. Outside of the professional sphere, we are also daughters, sisters, mothers, wives, friends, but above all, women who deserve to feel fulfilled and self-sufficient like any other human being.

As society progresses, opportunities for women in many sectors are also expanding. Currently, there are many initiatives that seek to break gender stereotypes and highlight the benefits of diversity in industries. With this evolving landscape, I believe I am capable of taking on higher positions in the future, assuming strategic roles to occupy leadership positions, and improving the effectiveness and adaptability of the company in an ever-changing environment.”