How Women-Owned Companies in Defense Manufacturing Are Making a Statement

Believe it or not, the U.S. military-industrial complex is largely in the hands of women, and we’ve never been better off for it. According to reporting from Politico, four out of America’s top five defense contractors are run by women, including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Defense Wing. 

Here’s how women-owned companies are having an impact in the defense manufacturing industry:

Superior Performance

The presence of women in these roles challenges the assumption that such positions are best suited for men. Women have already risen to places of prominence in the world of corporate America, occupying critical executive positions in our nation’s top-performing companies. 

They have likewise shown themselves to be quite capable as the executives of defense manufacturers. Profitability has been up in this sector, showing that female leadership can be a boon to stakeholders and shareholders. 

Given these trends, it’s likely that women will continue to occupy critical leadership positions both in and out of the defense sector.

Changing the Company Culture

It’s also been assumed that for women to succeed in the defense sector, they’d have to behave a certain way to fit in with the “boys club.” In other words, in a man’s world, women would have to learn to act like men. 

But this has hardly been the case. Instead, women have brought a diverse range of dispositions and approaches to their respective companies. Within these companies, you can find a range of workplace dynamics, which offers different experiences to employees and business relations alike. 

This variegation is important as workplace culture has been a major contributing force behind the rapid shuffling of corporate workers. Perhaps female leadership can offer a fresh perspective on evolving benefits and find ways to keep workers happy and productive.

Putting Technical Certification Within Reach

It’s often been said that “you can’t become what you can’t see.” The presence of female executives in the defense industry gives young women everywhere an ideal to strive toward and demonstrates that the glass ceiling has effectively shattered in virtually every sector of American business. 

But this visibility doesn’t just provide a path for the executive C-suite. Female-owned defense manufacturing also opens the door for women to enter STEM fields, where women have historically been underrepresented. 

For women everywhere, this means finding additional opportunities to take the kinds of technical courses that can land them future careers in the defense industry. Achieving this technical certification can become a new goal for women who aspire to find a place in advanced industries.

The Future for Female-Owned Defense Contractors

Whether these trends will continue in the future is uncertain, but the road is paved with possibility. Women have long been underrepresented in the science and manufacturing fields, but now the door is wider than ever before.