Democrat lawmaker says the word manufacturing 'sounds like a guy,' might be why field has few women

During a hearing on Wednesday, a Democratic lawmaker in the House said the reason why fewer women are involved in manufacturing could be because the term has the word "man" in it.

"Yesterday I met with a manufacturing company, but they also are engaged in getting young people more engaged in manufacturing," Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said during a Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade subcommittee hearing entitled "AI in Manufacturing: Securing American Leadership in Manufacturing and the Next Generation of Technologies."

Schakowsky continued by saying she thinks that fewer women are in manufacturing because the word itself sounds too male. 

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 WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) speaks at a press conference on July 18, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Take Back the Court Action Fund)

"So, I asked them, so, how many of those students that are signing up and want to do this? How many are women?" Schakowsky said, adding that they told her it was at least 13%. 

"It was a low number," she said. "And you had mentioned trying to engage more women in manufacturing. I'm just wondering if just the name manufacturing sounds like a guy."

In a post on X featuring the remarks, Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., who is also on the subcommittee, said, "Us: Let's lead the way and bring jobs back to America. Democrats: ‘Manufacturing’ is a sexist term against women!" 

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Workers are checking the production of electronic chips at a production workshop of the company's radio frequency and power device manufacturing center in Chongqing, China, on May 9, 2023.

According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Commerce, women make up 47% of the American workforce but only 30% worked in manufacturing.

Rachel del Guidice is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..