Abstract
Although there are continuous efforts aimed at increasing gender diversity, the forest sector is still largely perceived as a male dominated field, indicated by a persistent masculine image. As a result, women are still underrepresented. Utilizing interviews, we found that greater representation of women in the forest sector is considered as one of the best solutions to attract young women to the industry. However, it presents a ‘Catch-22’ in which the solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem. We propose to change the forest sector image by tackling gender issues such as sexual harassment, and by simultaneously focusing on the good features of the industry such as its important role in a sustainable future and solutions for the modern world. For example, the sector can show its role in mitigating climate change and in supporting a more sustainable future economy (e.g., bioeconomy and green jobs) and urban built environment. In addition, changing the forest sector image should be supported with better marketing and promotion in various platforms, both online and offline. The sector also needs to utilize social media to attract younger generations.
Highlights
The forest sector is important to the economies of North America and Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden
Enhancing gender diversity or the proportion of women versus men is a reliable solution for filling the workforce gap, since women make up nearly half of the labor force in
This paper focuses on gender as one aspect of workforce diversity due to a fact that there are continuous efforts aimed at increasing gender diversity including in the forest sector, women are still underrepresented in its workforce [6]
Summary
The forest sector (an umbrella term covering companies producing and using wood and wood fiber as a raw material) is important to the economies of North America and Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden. The forest sector has not attracted sufficient young talent interested in a career in the industry, resulting in a graying workforce [2]. The timing for this study is fortuitous due to a generational transition from a graying workforce to a new generation of leaders and workers. The transition presents a novel and significant opportunity to diversify the workforce in order to prepare the forest sector to face an unpredictable future. There is underrepresentation of women in top leadership in forest sector companies, even in Nordic countries that are considered at the forefront of gender equality [2]
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