Panel speaks out about speaking up for women in rubber

AKRON—As it stands today, rubber is a male-dominated industry. This is especially the case for the tire industry.

In rubber products manufacturing—excluding tires—women made up just 25.1 percent of the U.S. work force in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In tire manufacturing, this dipped to 22.5 percent.

And it's worth noting that the percentage of women in tire and rubber manufacturing actually decreased year-over-year. In 2022, women made up 25.6 percent of the U.S. work force in rubber manufacturing and 30.1 percent in tires, according to the bureau.

So, while the percentage of women in the tire and rubber industry may have improved compared to when Bonnie Stuck, president emeritus of Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, started her career in the industry over four decades ago, "we haven't broken through that glass ceiling yet," said Quiana Kee, quality director at Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C.

And it's because of this underrepresentation that it is important for women in the industry to advocate for themselves and others, according to a panel of female leaders during the recent International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron.

Included in this panel—along with Stuck and Kee—were Juliane Hefel, vice president of specialty coatings and materials business at PPG; Autumn Kahwaji, senior manager of standards and regulation at Yokohama Tire Corp.; and Jamie McNutt, a tire industry consultant.

Before you can advocate for yourself, you need to trust yourself and your strengths.

This, of course, is much easier said than done. So how does one build this trust?

A good place to start, Hefel said, is with the feedback from your supervisors and peers.

"It helps you to solidify how do you show up and what do they see when you are part of the team?" she said. "That for me, was always a good introspective to see where my strengths are at."

In addition to paying attention to feedback, Kee added that one should take inventory with herself. Whether on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis, consider: "What did I accomplish and what did I feel good about?" Then document this and share it in dialogue sessions, she said.

"It starts that conversation, opens the door for more feedback as well," Kee said. "It's important for us to just really take stock, take inventory of the things that we like to do, the things that we're passionate about and the things that we do well."

Kahwaji and Stuck both encouraged people not to focus too much on their weaknesses.

"As you identify your strengths, continue to nurture and build them," Kahwaji said. "Your career shouldn't always be about focusing on correcting your weaknesses. Focus on building your strengths."

"Sometimes we're our worst critics," Stuck added, noting this isn't exclusive to the workplace. "Start being your best cheerleader for yourself."

It's trusting in herself and her strengths that helped Kee advocate for herself when she suspected she wasn't being paid fairly at a point in her career.

She recounted a time she went to management and human resources to request a salary audit.

"I didn't have any evidence that the other managers—senior project managers—were making more than me. I just had a gut feeling. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut," Kee said. "They checked and they had to do an adjustment—a hefty adjustment.

"That's a way to advocate for yourself: have those tough discussions," she said. "And if you don't ask, the answer will always be no."

But advocating for yourself isn't always a trip to HR or a difficult conversation. It can be as small as raising your hand, according to Hefel.

"What helped me really in building my network … was raising my hand and saying, 'yeah,' whatever the topic is," she said, noting doing this created opportunities for her to grow in the workplace.

And this extends to supporting other women, she said.

"Create opportunities for (other women) to shine, … have them speak in a presentation to the boss instead of yourself," she said. "There's a lot of things, I think, small things that we can do to help to elevate each other."

McNutt pointed out that small acts of advocacy also might look like complimenting your colleagues' work.

"I think that helps us, and then it gives us confidence to go forward," she said.

It's also critical to act in the moment, Kahwaji said.

"If you're in a meeting and someone puts forth a good idea and it gets overlooked or interrupted, stop the conversation and go back," she said. "I believe in advocacy in the moment."

As leaders, Stuck said, it's important to see what you can do from the top to help the people within your purview.

When her kids were small, she said, she had to "get creative" when it came to managing childcare and work. "I said to myself, if I ever get in charge of a company, it's not going to be that way."

Now at ARDL, Stuck said, employees have flex hours so they can better manage parental responsibilities between work. "Advocate for your people if you're in charge," she said.

Advocating for oneself or others is easier with a support system. And one of the best ways to build this is through a mentor.

But even finding a mentor is easier said than done.

People often seek role models who look like themselves, someone they can better relate to. But that person isn't always available. And, according to Kee, they might not be the right fit anyway.

"At one point in my career, I wanted to have a mentor that looked just like me—a black female in the automotive industry," Kee said. "But the challenge is, we're not always there."

She told attendees that if they can't find someone who fits a particular image, they shouldn't let that stop them from finding a mentor.

"It doesn't have to be a person that necessarily looks like you or is from the same background as you," Kee said. "It could be someone that you admire that looks completely different from you—because they're going to offer something: a different perspective that you could learn from."

Stuck agreed.

"Back when I started in the industry, obviously any mentor was a white male," she said. But this was never a problem for her, noting two men in her career "who were really good mentors to me."

"They don't have to look like you," Stuck said. "Find someone you can learn something after, and they will learn as much as you."

Hefel said mentors also don't have to be formal relationships.

"They can be friends that help me talk through things, that give me their advice as much as formal relationships," she said.

And you won't find everything you need from one person, McNutt pointed out.

"It depends on what you need, and then you just seek that out," she said, noting she's had several mentors for different jobs throughout her career.

But you can't be afraid to ask, Hefel said.

"I think it's an honor being asked, and I always take something away," she said.

"Find a mentor or multiple mentors, be a mentor—informal or formal. (Mentorship) is the buzzword that is really true," Kahwaji said.