Women's Place in Industry: Breaking Down Barriers
"Women are naturally industrious and must reclaim their place at the heart of industry." With this statement, Soukeina Bouraoui, Executive Director of the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), marked her intervention during the International Women's Day in Industry, held on April 21, 2026, under the theme "Women Shape the Future of Industry."
In this context, she called for moving beyond symbolic discourse to engage in continuous and measurable work on the place of women in industrial sectors. She first made a clear observation: the presence of women in industry remains limited. Less than 10% hold leadership positions in industrial companies. In certain sectors like construction, they represent only about 1%. However, she emphasizes a real progression. In about 15 years, some indicators have gone from 1% to nearly 10%, showing evolution, but still insufficient. Soukeina Bouraoui stresses that the problem is not a lack of skills. Women are numerous in scientific and engineering fields, but they rarely access industrial leadership positions. They are often oriented towards technical or administrative functions, far from decision-making.
Three Major Obstacles
She identifies several major obstacles. Social stereotypes come first, followed by a lack of innovation in educational systems and the absence of visible female models in industry. Without inspiring figures, she says, trajectories remain limited. She also highlights the importance of education and the Tunisian experience of co-education. According to her, the fact that girls and boys grow up together in the same educational spaces constitutes an essential basis for normalizing equality from a young age. Another central point of her intervention: the need for continuous action. She proposes that April 21st not only be a commemorative day but also an annual moment for evaluating progress and real impacts. In terms of solutions, she calls for more targeted public policies. This involves tax incentives, better access to financing, and adapted support for women entrepreneurs in industry. She also stresses the role of media in valorizing female successes and disseminating positive models. Finally, Bouraoui recalls that CAWTAR is not limited to academic research. The institution produces studies aimed at influencing public policies and supporting parity in economic and industrial fields. The meeting was also organized in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), a key player in promoting women's inclusion in industry at the international level.
A Clear Message
The final message is unambiguous: women are not absent from industry due to a lack of potential, but because current systems do not yet allow them to fully express themselves.
