Spotlight on Women in Manufacturing in new Queensland docuseries
She Made It is a ground-breaking documentary series that illuminates Queensland stories of resilience, innovation and triumph, as embodied by women in the manufacturing industry. Following the successful launch of the series on International Women’s Day in March 2024, the web series has been entered into film festivals across Australia, the US and Canada, including Melbourne & Sydney Lift-Off film festivals, LA Femme International Film Festival and Montreal Women Film Festival. The series and standalone episodes will continue to be submitted to a wide variety of festivals over the coming year.
The production is also aimed at providing women with more information about opportunities in manufacturing and highlighting the diverse types of work available in the manufacturing industry. As is known, there is a significant pipeline of manufacturing work in Queensland, and more women must join the industry to fill skills shortages.
The documentary series is part of the Women in Manufacturing Strategy launched by the Queensland Government on International Women’s Day last year. The strategy is implementing key actions aimed at attracting more women to manufacturing, with a focus on technical and factory floor roles, so that the number of women in these traditionally male-dominated roles grows.
Brisbane-based production house Pixelframe has delivered this wonderful production on behalf of the Queensland Government. “This project is a testament to Queensland’s inclusive manufacturing industry and to the resilience and strength of Queensland’s women in the industry,” said Pixelframe producer, Caitlin Johnston. From concept to completion the project took about six months and Pixelframe now hopes to enter the series into international film festival competitions.
“We were the first government to deliver a Women in Manufacturing Strategy because we know that women add so much to our manufacturing sector,” the QLD Minister for Manufacturing, Glenn Butcher said. “We know women are underrepresented in this traditionally male-dominated sector so we are implementing our plan to attract and retain more women in manufacturing because we know the industry is better off for it. It’s absolutely fantastic to be premiering a documentary series made right here in Queensland by a Queensland production company profiling Queensland women in manufacturing. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Encouraging more women to pursue a career in manufacturing is critical to the industry’s continued growth, innovation and productivity. Factors which continue to limit women’s participation in the manufacturing industry include:
- stereotypes of ‘women’s work’
- the perception that shop floor occupations in manufacturing are men’s work
- limited flexible work arrangements
- the existence of unconscious and conscious bias
- lack of childcare on site
- appropriate bathrooms and facilities at manufacturing businesses
- the perception that there is not a career path to leadership for women
- the lack of parental leave for men.
Through the strategy, QLD supports manufacturers in identifying potential barriers in their businesses and developing solutions to help overcome the issues.
The strategy has four priorities:
- Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the manufacturing industry.
- Building on our existing capabilities and skills to further women’s leadership and development.
- Boosting women’s participation in vocational education and training (VET), building the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pipeline and promoting advanced manufacturing capabilities throughout secondary and tertiary studies.
- Celebrating and showcasing the women in Queensland’s manufacturing industry
The She Made It documentary series will also be shown in Queensland’s schools through the Gateway to Industry Schools Program in 2024, to encourage young women into manufacturing careers of the future.