Yesterday was International Women’s Day, so we hope you raised a glass to all the fabulous females in your life! Unfortunately, Covid-19 really hasn’t helped matters in closing the gap on gender inequality, especially when it comes to pay and employment. There is a growing concern, as women have been found far more likely to have been affected, perhaps due to redundancy; temporarily or permanently having to close their businesses; or having to become full time home-makers to look after their children whilst schools have been closed.
Whilst male dominated industries have seen falls in the number of hires they would normally have, the comparison to female dominated industries is shocking, due to Covid-19 and imposed restrictions on their sectors. For example, the beauty and wedding industries. Perhaps this is why more females than ever are turning towards a career as a courier. When you think of a white van or delivery driver, you wouldn’t normally imagine a woman at the wheel – but why not? Covid-19 has started a shift in the culture, and it’s time we started talking about it.
This week, Scotland led the way with M&H Carriers seeking to improve gender inequality and representation within the transport industry. Even though women make up 47% of the workforce across the UK, there are just 20% of female workers in transport. The firm have been practising what they preach, with women holding more than half of their senior management roles. They hope women will be able to see past the traditional stereotypes of transport being a male dominated industry, and hope for the possibility of more females beginning to see it as a career path.
The Arts are another industry that has been massively hit by Covid-19, with many of its workers turning to jobs in the delivery industry and becoming key workers. A trombonist became employed by Yodel, and although it wasn’t her first time working within the industry, she spoke of the respect she has for delivery drivers’ hard work. Another example saw a violinist become a delivery driver for Waitrose, and despite being able to qualify for the self-employed grant from the government, she couldn’t sit at home and twiddle her thumbs. The delivery job kept her motivation going, and alongside her delivery work on the weekends, she also volunteered at her local charity shop.
Delivery driver work is difficult, as many of you know, and over the past year, the hard work has increased and shows no signs of stopping. We welcome more females to join the industry, and together, let’s hope to fight the battle against gender inequality and keep on improving the industry. Don’t forget – for any new women joining the delivery game – you will need more than your standard insurance for your van. Take a look here to see how we can help.