U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) | House of Representatives
U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) | House of Representatives
Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois said that fewer women enter the manufacturing sector because "the name manufacturing sounds like a guy." She made this statement on February 12 during a House subcommittee meeting.
"...you had mentioned trying to engage more women in manufacturing," said Schakowsky, U.S. Representative. "I'm just wondering if just the name manufacturing sounds like a guy."
According to Fox News, Schakowsky made her comment during the House Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade subcommittee hearing titled "AI in Manufacturing: Securing American Leadership in Manufacturing and the Next Generation of Technologies." She also mentioned that only 13% of female students expressed interest in pursuing a manufacturing job.
"Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D) suggests that the reason more women don't go into manufacturing is because ‘the name manufacturing sounds like a guy,’" said the social media account Libs of TikTok on X.
A 2019 report by the Northern Illinois University Center for Government Studies found that women made up approximately 30% of the manufacturing workforce in Illinois.
According to her biography, Schakowsky has represented Illinois' 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1999. Born in 1944, she is one of the longest-serving Democratic women in the House. Before her time in Congress, she was a community organizer and served in the Illinois State Legislature.
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