Women in rail: RAC conference highlights industry’s need to close the gender gap
6/18/2021
By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor
Many economists have dubbed the pandemic-caused economic recession as the “shecession” because of the disproportionate number of women who lost jobs. The gender gap in unemployment has been a global phenomenon: In 17 of the 24 rich countries where unemployment rose in 2020, women were more likely than men to lose their jobs, according to a study released in March by the World Economic Forum.
The pandemic has reversed women's workplace gains, as the burden of childcare rose and female-dominated sectors shed jobs, according to the WEF report. The study, which looked at 33 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development group of rich nations, found that progress toward gender equality at work would not begin to recover until 2022.
Female business leaders attending the Railway Association of Canada’s (RAC) Women in Rail Conference earlier this month discussed the points raised in the WEF report, and how the rail industry can address the wider economic gender gap by attracting and retaining women to fill openings at all levels.
“The big concern is that once women exit the workforce through the shecession, it's very difficult for them to get back in,” said Jacqueline Milczarek, president and chief content and engagement officer at National Content Solutions Media and the conference moderator.
The good news for women is that there are increasing employment opportunities in historically male-dominated industries like rail, which are seeking to diversify the workforce and leadership ranks.
A connection to purpose
That topic was front and center during one RAC conference session, which featured female executives who discussed gender and inclusion in the industry’s workplace. Moderated by Milczarek, the panel featured Joan Hardy, vice president of sales and marketing, grain and fertilizer, at Canadian Pacific; Janet Drysdale, vice president of sustainability at CN; Francoise Bertrand, chair of VIA Rail Canada’s board; and Kleo Landucci, board member and chief commercial and corporate affairs officer at Ashcroft Terminal.
Milczarek kicked off the discussion by highlighting the “massive amounts” of government and private investments in the North American rail industry. What doors might that open for women, and what industry biases and misconceptions [about women] might they have to confront to find success in those opportunities?
The panelists all agreed the rail industry holds enormous potential for women seeking fulfilling careers.
When CN’s Drysdale was recruited into the company’s management development program 25 years ago, she joined thinking she would move on from the business after putting in a couple of years.
“The great part of my story, despite planning to spend only 2 years there, is that I’ve put in 25 years,” Drysdale said. “The scale of an organization like CN means that whenever I’ve wanted to change jobs, I’ve been able to change functions. I didn’t have to leave the company to have new experiences.”
The other key aspect of railroading that has kept Drysdale in the industry is a connection to purpose.
“We move the economy and enable trade,” Drysdale said. “We’ve just gone through a year of COVID where we understand how essential transportation logistics are to the economy, and that purpose is compelling.”
The rail industry as a whole should speak up more to promote that sense of purpose in order to attract more women, she added.
“Whether you are a skilled tradesperson, a lawyer, an accountant, a finance graduate, a tech graduate — there is something for you in transportation and logistics,” Drysdale said.
The industry’s evolution into a high-tech field that relies increasingly on data and analytics also will lead to career opportunities, the panelists said.
An opportunity to be more inclusive
Yet barriers remain. There’s “something intrinsic in our industry that’s not encouraging the necessary level of women” to apply for openings at rail companies, said CP’s Hardy, who chairs the Class I’s gender diversity council.
“We have to look at this situation as an opportunity,” added Hardy. “Those of us that are more seasoned in the industry have to think about ways that we can encourage more women to come into the railway, feel included and stay in the industry.”
Prior to joining CP in 2018, Hardy spent 12 years at Richardson International, Canada's largest agri-business, where she served as VP of transportation. Prior to joining Richardson, she spent 21 years at CN.
When Hardy entered railroading as a mechanical engineer 35 years ago, about 5% of the industry’s workforce included women. Today, that number has increased to only 10% percent for Canada’s rail sector and 15% when including the U.S. rail workforce. Those numbers reflect little improvement over decades, Hardy and Drysdale said. Their respective railroads have acknowledged as much, as well. Both CP and CN have implemented environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives to raise the number of women within all levels of their organizations.
Moderator Milczarek wanted to know how the panelists made it to the upper echelons of their organizations.
VIA Rail’s Bertrand shared that whenever she bumped up against a glass ceiling or achieved all she could, she was willing to leave an organization to keep growing in her career. In her case, that meant changing sectors a few times, resulting in a number of “firsts.”
As chief executive officer of Tele Quebec, Bertrand was the first woman to head a North American television network. She also was the first woman to chair the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, the first woman to serve as president and CEO of Quebec’s Federation of Chambers of Commerce and the first woman to chair VIA Rail.
“I’ve always had dreams and the very strong belief that when I have ‘done the tour of the garden’ — as I used to say in French — I move on,” she said. “I have been lucky to be one of the few [women], so I was easily recognized. And once you hold that leadership position, of course there are more opportunities for you in another organization. And you don’t have to do the same demonstration of leadership capacity [when you move on].”
That’s something that Landucci — who serves as vice chair of the Freight Management Association of Canada’s board — did after she began her career 22 years ago in the financial investment business. Five years later she left that field for an entrepreneurial role to help her father lead Ashcroft Terminal, which started as the family business. In 2018, PSA International of Singapore acquired 60% of the company, which has given Landucci the chance to work with a global team of professionals.
Throughout her years in transportation, Landucci’s often been one of few women in the room. Yet she’s spent little time worrying about glass ceilings.
“You just keep going,” Landucci said. “You have to have confidence and believe in yourself. We all make mistakes, and I have. But you learn from it and continue on.”
Find the allies
All the panelists agreed that women need to find the “allies” inside and outside their organizations who will support their efforts toward advancement. To that end, CP a year ago created a Women Leadership Network that focuses on helping women move up in the company.
“We have a great group of women already at CP and expect to bring in more talented young women throughout the organization,” said Hardy. The company is launching a formal mentorship program that matches female managers as mentors with younger women just starting out at CP.
“We recognize that mentorship programs play a significant role in retaining women in organizations,” explained Hardy, who added that mentors have been “so important” in helping guide her own career.
Before women can climb the corporate ladder in railroading, they first have to get in the door. What is the industry doing to recruit and retain more women?
CP’s recruiting processes have evolved to attract more women and diverse candidates, said Hardy.
“We definitely are trying to make sure that when women think about the railway, they can see themselves here,” she said. “It’s really important that when there’s a short list for a job, many women make the shortlist. And interview panels need to be representative. We talk about diversity, and inclusion is so important. People have to feel they belong in an organization to want to be there.”
CP has a specific focus on recruiting more female engineers.
“The engineering profession [in Canada] has a target of 30% percent of engineering graduates will be women by the year 2030,” Hardy said. “That’s a big target and, unfortunately, it will be tough to get there. But we’re working with universities to make sure we’re there as an intake for lots of women in engineering — and other technical areas and trades that are badly needed at the railways.”
