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Just over 20% of the print industry’s 250,000 workers are women. The proportion is slightly lower in production jobs, but 20 years ago, there were virtually no women working as printers and few working as typesetters. In fact, aside from stereotypical administrative roles, women were limited to some areas of print finishing, sales and customer service.

The battles fought out between Fleet Street and Wapping in the 1980s had a major impact by breaking this closed shop and making print more accessible to women. But, more importantly, advances in technology, both in pre-press and on press, have dramatically changed the nature of work in print. Job titles have changed as typesetters, step and repeat operators, imposition and even platemakers have effectively been replaced by Mac or repro operators. In addition, the recent growth in digital printing means that even press minders are now being replaced by men and women with Mac and IT skills. This more high-tech environment has meant that even working on large-format litho presses is no longer ‘heavy work’.

Despite all this, there is still a degree of polarisation in terms of job roles, with the majority of women in print involved in finishing, origination, customer service and sales. But, conversely, the past 20 years have also seen more women taking up roles throughout the print industry, from shop floor to boardroom.

Natural selection
I don’t believe there is, or has been, any deliberate plan to redress the balance in what is still a male-dominated industry. Instead, employers are simply hiring the best candidate they can, irrespective of gender. And the fact is, more women are applying for jobs.

The industry still needs to be more attractive to women – just as it needs to be attractive to all sectors of the workforce. This is not about feminism (personally, I am against any form of positive discrimination). The reality is that, with relatively low unemployment and skills shortages, no business can afford to discount sections of the talent pool.

It is unwise, though, to think of women in print as a special case. The stereotypical assumption that childcare and time off are their main interests is discriminatory and false. This sort of compartmentalising is a major problem, irrespective of whe­ther it is on the grounds of sex, race, religion or age. Employers must accept that all employees are different and that the best way to appeal to specific groups is to be attractive to all.

Clearly, companies that are successful, innovative or have a buzz about them are attractive as employers. In some cases, attraction is purely a case of business growth and success, while in others it is companies with new products or working in exciting markets. Add prospects for training, career development and a good working environment and you have the basis of an attractive employer.

You also have to be careful with benefits. In cases where employers make women special cases or grant privileges, it always breeds resentment. To counter this, it is best to make a range of benefits available that all staff can choose from. Here are a few options.

First, variable pension contributions could be offered, where employees can choose a higher level of employer contribution in lieu of some other benefit. Health insurance, while almost obligatory at middle-management level and above, can be made an option, especially if the employee’s spouse or partner already has family cover. In this case, an employee could choose to exchange this benefit for something else. Childcare vouchers, meanwhile, are exempt from tax and national insurance up to a certain level

And don’t ignore flexible working. Although much-publicised, many forms of flexible working are not appropriate in production environments. However, in areas like origination and repro, some companies have adopted a shift system that basically works as job sharing, with two part-time staff covering the day, rather than one full -time. In other areas, banked or annual hours schemes allow employees to work longer hours at peak periods and shorter hours in quiet periods. If these quiet periods coincide with school holidays, this immediately becomes a family-friendly system, which is equally appealing to men and women. The key with flexible working is to understand there are many forms that have nothing to do with flexi-time and may, in fact, suit the business.

Dani Novick is managing director of print and packaging recruitment specialist Mercury Search and Selection