Gender inequality in packaging: Laxmi Adrianna Haigh discusses restraints amid industry “feminization”

22 Mar 2023 --- Feminization is increasing in the packaging industry with more women stepping into technical roles, but gaps still remain regarding women’s treatment, says Laxmi Adrianna Haigh, the editorial lead at Circle Economy.

In this exclusive interview, PackagingInsights speaks to Haigh about her experience in the packaging and plastics industries, how it has been for her as a woman and how she sees the future changing to be a more inclusive and creative space.

“I definitely encountered far more men than women working in the packaging industry. As a young woman in the sector, I often felt like I stood out. While this sometimes brought complications, I felt it allowed me to speak my mind and sometimes even smash stereotypes.”

Trade shows’ visual aids
Haigh does not class herself as a woman of color at work. She says she is of mixed-race descent but also “white-passing.” White-passing refers to a person of color who can be visually perceived as white and therefore benefit from those privileges. Outside of work, she identifies more with her mixed-race identity. 

The editorial lead at Circle Economy says she has never felt she was used for appearances as a woman of color in the industry. Instead, when asked to speak, she perceives it as an opportunity to gather diverse backgrounds that drive innovative conversations. 

“Panels try to have a diverse makeup of people, backgrounds and genders, but this is because diversity fuels the richness of the conversation. So, I never feel like my presence is just for appearances.”

Haigh describes past experiences where she saw women used as marketing for businesses at trade shows. However, she still names experiences of feeling singled out in some workplaces, especially at packaging trade shows – “which is heavily male-dominated.” She believes her negative experiences widely come down to her having a “very Indian name,” which people struggle to pronounce, leading to them commenting about her looks. 

“I have had men transfix on my name, hair type and freckles during professional interviews. In my early 20s, this was something quite tricky to navigate.”

Haigh exclaims at the circumstances she witnessed where companies used women as visual aids to entice people to stop by their stands at trade shows. 

“Only five years ago, companies were still hiring scantily clad women to be part of their marketing efforts at trade shows – I specifically saw this in Germany. Please don’t tell me this is still going on!”

Cross-industry and cross-nation pay gap
Worldwide, on average, women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, according to a recent report by Forbes. At the current rate, it is estimated that it will take 257 years to close the global gender pay gap. 

The same report records that women of color in the US are among the lowest-paid workers in rural areas, with rural Black and Hispanic women making just 56 cents for every dollar that rural white, non-Hispanic men make. 

“Many women experience pay inequality. My current non-governmental organization workplace is very careful to ensure this does not occur. But I have had experiences that were so awkward in negotiating for fair pay,” says Haigh. 

She has an instance where a senior male manager once questioned why she would want more money to spend on clothes or nails. “He wouldn't have had the audacity to make such assumptions about me if I was a man.”

Results from a 2019 survey found that more than a quarter of Americans felt reports of the pay gap were “overblown,” while another 16% described it as “fake news.” Nearly half of men (46%) believed that the pay gap “is made up to serve a political purpose” rather than being a “legitimate issue.”

That same year the US Census Bureau revealed that women in America were, on average, making about 81 cents for every dollar a man made. Additionally, when comparing women and men with the same job title, seniority level and hours worked, a gender gap of 11% still exists regarding take-home pay. The gender pay gap prevails through all industries and countries. 

“Being a woman in the workplace means people often make assumptions about you. Assumptions about how hard you work or what your priorities are.”

Pregnant then screwed
Haigh asserts how financially damaging assumptions in the workplace can be for women. “For example, the assumption is that every woman will want to go part-time to have children around 30.” 

Mothers are 40% more likely to report that childcare issues have negatively affected their careers, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

“These are extremely negative and unethical declarations to make. A huge reason why there is such a gender pay gap is that pay stagnates when women have children, and they are even overlooked for promotions in case they get pregnant in the future.”

The AAUW documents that women who take a year off work for caregiving purposes earn 39% less than those who do not. 

Haigh recommends that people who want to make change learn that “women who work are a varied and heterogeneous group – take the time to get to know us.” She continues that to make the workplace more accessible for mothers “we must create a world where having a family and career is less strenuous.” 

Moreover, the pandemic exposed holes in the motherhood, childcare and work relationship system. In the UK, more than eight in 10 employed mothers said they needed childcare to be able to work, but fewer than half said they had enough childcare to let them do their job during the pandemic, revealed a survey by Pregnant Then Screwed. 

At the same time, The International Labour Organization warned that women globally were at a greater risk of losing their jobs.

Assumptions about female stereotypes hinder women’s performance in the workplace. Pride and prejudice 
Haigh tells about a time a very senior male colleague proposed that he change her name to “curly” because it was easier to pronounce and reflected the appearance of her hair. 

“This made me feel uncomfortable, but due to the power dynamic, I said nothing. This is certainly an instance of feeling suppressed that perhaps stemmed from both my otherness and being a woman.”

“I hope times are changing now. I certainly come across far more women working in more technical jobs in the packaging industry now and being given more prominent speaking roles,” she adds.

Haigh continues that having more women in technical positions is essential to shift perceptions of the packaging industry being male. She believes having more female representation in these jobs will encourage more women to enter the field.

“The packaging industry is quite male-heavy, from my experience. I recall walking around trade show floors and noticing that most female staff worked in marketing as opposed to sales or R&D. But I assume that will change over time, as we have seen in many technical industries.”

Feminizing the workplace
Haigh encourages the feminization of the workplace to increase safety and creativity. She states that the workplace has been highly masculine for too long. “This applies to nearly all sectors but is quite heightened in packaging.” 

“As sustainability concerns become increasingly central to packaging companies’ goals, I want to see more feminization. This goes beyond only who is employed and visible but also is about qualities that are so important at work but have long been overlooked.”

“For example, caring for each other and practicing empathy are often seen as weaker and feminine values, but they can make workplaces feel far safer. Safety is crucial for creativity, ideation and personal growth. We don’t all need to mimic the characteristics of cold, rational men from the 1950’s to be successful. Men and women alike will benefit from the feminization of the workplace,” Haigh concludes. 

By Sabine Waldeck