Equalising the numbers of men and women in the UK workplace across sectors could bump up GDP by a whopping 10% by 2030, says the Women’s Business Council. The independent one-year cross-business working group set up by the government last year aims to encourage the public sector and business to maximise women’s contribution to economic growth.

After all, it says, more than 2.4m jobless women want to work, while more than 1.3m would like to spend more hours in the workplace. And women-led SMEs pump around £70bn to the economy, explains council chair Ruby McGregor Smith, adding the UK "faces unprecedented challenges given the tough economy, but must fully capitalise on the skills of all people".

BPIF programme manager Ursula Daly is about to embark on an initiative that may help ring the kind of changes in print that McGregor-Smith talks about across sectors. It follows an Ofsted report that found the BPIF promoted equality and diversity well, but that women were under-represented in its training provision, which includes more than 600 apprentices.

The BPIF hopes to put in a bid to the government’s Skills Funding Agency for the initiative. Details of the project and bid are currently being fine-tuned and will be linked to the outcome of focus-group meetings. But two of the aims are to beef up curriculum content and promotional materials to focus on, not just women, but also ethnic minority groups in print, says Daly.

This might jar with some people, including Harrison Scott Associates’ joint managing director George Thompson. He is against print "diverting finite resources to specifically targeting women" and notes the industry has enough problems recruiting anyone regardless of gender. He agrees, however, there are not enough women in print.

Although the majority of these are very successful, Thompson reckons that less than around 8% of the total print sales force is female. Getting the gender numbers to balance is tricky Thompson concedes, but he flatly disagrees with ideas of quotas, legislation or positive discrimination.

"Printing is made up of hundreds of self-made people, many of whom put their houses on the line to secure their businesses. I’m very much against laws or rules that try to tell entrepreneurs how to run their businesses. Maybe market forces should be allowed to prevail."

A few years ago Diana Thompson, managing director of print specialist Plus Point PR and a former print journalist, ran a campaign to urge the Printers’ Charitable Corporation to open its male-only boxing evening to women. It prompted a hail of controversy, a record ringside attendance of uppity blokes and, eventually, a bouquet of flowers from the corporation. "Ho hum", she recalls.

"It is not that I had, or have, any objection to male-only clubs and events but when it excludes women from supporting the trade they work in, I do. There have been countless groups to promote women in print – the last I went to was a meeting that Heidelberg held at Drupa 2012 with testimonials from women in different countries – this is not just a UK issue.

"As someone who doesn’t believe in men-only industry events it is hard for me to be in favour of women-only forums. Perhaps the best way for women to change things is more industry involvement rather than branching into women’s groups to whinge about our lot. But I appreciate sometimes helping each other find constructive responses to common issues can help."

She also appreciates that difficulties persist, but draws attention to industry ‘beacons’, such as the BPIF’s Kathy Woodward, while digital print has ushered in big hitters such as Nancy Janes at HP and Amanda Abernethy at Xerox. Indeed, the chief executives at industry giants HP and Xerox are both female. Others, such as Helen Kennett at Henry Ling and Pascha Turnbull at Inc Dot, head up businesses.

And powerful players, such as Dilu Mukadam at Alltrade Printers, Vanessa Jones at Stephens & George and Veronica Thomson at Thomson Printing & Packaging, have helped prompt a change in attitudes, reckons Thompson. So has technology – advanced automation and materials handling systems take out some of the donkey-work from print, which could bring opportunities.

Kevin Vyse, head of the Institute of Packaging Professionals, agrees: "Digital has made printing cleaner, less engineering focused. You can be a high-tech small business, appealing to people from both genders.

"SME food manufacturers are largely run by women bringing print and packaging in house, while graphic and print courses are merging, possibly bringing more women into the industry."

But it hasn’t thrown up opportunities yet, suggests Dani Novick, director of print recruitment agency Mercury Search & Selection. The rise of digital print could have swung the balance, being more Mac- than manual work-focused. However data suggests this has not happened, she says.

"Very few women outside traditional repro make it into production. When recruiting we come across relatively few female trained digital press operators, for example, on Indigos or iGens. Further areas such as variable data, which are very much desk-based and software related also reveal a surprising absence of women.

"But let’s not be pessimistic – there are women at the top. While the likes of Catherine Burke at Banner Managed Communications and Samantha Bird at JCDecaux may be the headline grabbers there are others such as Sue Tait at Williams Lea who have a wealth of industry experience and wield considerable power based on print spend.

"Media tends to focus on stereotypes; the ball-breakers who out-macho the men or the women who give up careers for families, but the reality is rather different. There are plenty of women who achieve great things in their careers and maintain a sensible family life," says Novick.

OPINION

Companies that discriminate will find they get left behind

Kathy Woodward, chief executive, BPIF

The issue of institutionalised discrimination against women is, quite frankly, a battle I have always tried to dodge. In my own bubble, I have been incredibly lucky. I was brought up without brothers, went to an all-girls school, then a left wing university and joined the computer industry when the likes of Hilary Cropper were setting new boundaries for female entrepreneurialism.

I have worked for five fabulously supportive bosses, floated a company on the stock market, started my own business and sat on a raft of boards, so the glass ceiling is outside my experience. Going around the industry, meanwhile, I see a raft of female company owners, marketing directors, purchasing directors and HR directors having huge influence on the industry.

Equally, statistics don’t lie. For whatever reason there are fewer than 10 women in this year’s PrintWeek Power 100 and the fact that only 15% of board members are women makes unpalatable reading in 2013. It was great seeing all the girls at North Print & Pack picking up the PrintIT! Awards and it’s some progress seeing 25% of the delegates being women on our own Level 5 management scheme.

To some extent, however, I think the battlefield has moved on. The big retail chains are now spending significant amounts of money with their executive teams focusing on prejudice and discrimination. This is challenging the way management teams think: they realise the way we did things successfully yesterday will not necessarily work for us tomorrow.

The internet, the recession and fast-changing demographics are creating a new world order. The successful people will be those who harness the full talent pool of their supply chain and workforce, regardless of gender and geography. If you have stereotypical views of the world you are probably going to find it increasingly difficult to innovate and keep up. There are tough but exciting times ahead.

READER REACTION

What’s the best way to attract more women into the sector?

Jacky Sidebottom, managing director, Glossop Cartons

"I agree with groups, such as the BPIF, doing more to make the industry attractive to females. But the idea of setting women-male ratios, as some councils seem to be doing, is a load of rubbish. It would be great to see more women in the print workplace but they must get there on their own merits, and that includes the children of senior management, regardless of their gender. They have to earn their stripes first and maybe come into the family business if they show a keenness and aptitude."

Emma Moore, director, Print Monkey

"I support the idea of more systemised training such as workshops to teach people technical aspects, which would improve the chances of women rising through the ranks in production. Right now it’s disappointing there are so few women managers. Last year Drupa and Heidelberg held a women in print networking event, so it’s on the radar. But securing representation needs to be more organic and natural than by quotas. If one board member is a woman simply because it must have one, it loses credibility."

Tim Webb, executive director, Printing Industry Confederation (Picon)

"We have to be careful about setting strictures, even goals on women in print. A few years ago we raised the issue of setting up a women’s group in Picon and we got a resounding ‘no’ from virtually all the women. Writing about the issue and reporting success stories can go a long way to creating impetus, raising profile and keeping it in the spotlight. Experience tells me that quotas do not work and are not wanted by women: it leaves them open to the accusation they are there because of outside influences."