“Change happens from within”

Farming has changed a great deal in recent years – yet women in particular often encounter prejudices when they decide to pursue a career in the agricultural sector or science. Studies show that diversity in leadership roles, for example, delivers better business outcomes and thus has a positive effect for all employees. We spoke with female colleagues from different countries about their perspectives, what already works well at KWS, what initiatives they would like to see in the future. At the same time, male leaders at KWS also reflect on why diversity matters to the company and how they see their role in driving positive change.

The myth that women don’t have what it takes physically to work in farming persists to this day to some extent. That’s a complete fallacy, says Francesca Zogno, Sales Excellence Manager from Italy. “Nowadays, we have far more modern technologies in the field and they’ve reduced physical labor. Success in agriculture is now due much more to proper management and good organization, not employees’ gender.

Jennifer Peterson, Senior Breeding Technician Sugarbeet, from Shakopee in the U.S., adds: “Sometimes it seems as if women are less capable of doing a certain job, but it’s actually the circumstances that make the work more difficult for us. I once recall wanting to do a job wearing a protective suit. It was just far too big because it was a men’s size, dragged behind me on the ground and impeded me unnecessarily in my work. Driving a tractor can also be more difficult for us if we can’t easily reach the pedals. There can be relatively simple solutions to these issues.”

“An experience that significantly shaped me in the early days of my agricultural science studies: Female students were jokingly told that they weren’t here to study, but because agricultural science studies were an excellent marriage market. I wasn’t interested in getting married that day; I fell in love with science in agriculture,” adds Wiebke Sannemann, Principal Research Lead Native Traits Corn.

Equal talent, different barriers

Suelen Oliveira Arantes, Product Development Manager Brazil, says: “I live in Brazil, where it’s very common for women to work in farming. Nevertheless, there are hurdles that are often not talked about – for example, it’s very difficult to look after children when you work in the fields and have to travel a lot. As a woman, you often leave your familiar surroundings, hometown or even your native country because of a job, and all-day childcare is extremely expensive. It’s therefore important for companies to offer childcare or home office solutions so that women can work with peace of mind. Women often end up giving up their jobs because their children would otherwise be left alone at home.”

Jennifer from the U.S., takes a similar view: “It’s a myth that children or pregnancy are inherently incompatible with a job in agriculture or science. Women shouldn’t be automatically excluded from gaining promotion just because they might become pregnant. I had two children while working for an American company and found the way my pregnancy was handled there to be very negative and stressful. Fortunately, that changed when I moved to KWS and had my third child – here I was able to work from home a couple of days a week as my duties allowed. I felt fit right up until the birth and was able to accomplish the digital parts of my job from home without any problems.”

The role of leadership

Implementing solutions requires everyone’s participation. Many women would like to see male managers in particular reflect more and act differently. After all, their position means they’re often the ones who can initiate change in the team and encourage others to ponder their own prejudices.

“Men in leadership roles can do a lot to bring about a change in thinking,” says Suelen from Brazil. “The distinction between men and women should stop. Sure, we’re different, but we complement each other and can thus contribute to the company’s success. Male managers could advocate for women to be more closely involved and integrated in decision-making processes. And talk openly in the team about the support available if someone is afraid to ask about it for fear of being stigmatized.”

“Greater diversity in leadership broadens our perspective and improves decision-making. Female leaders bring not only different experiences and emotions but also unique approaches to problem-solving,” says Jörg Philipps, Head of the Business Unit Sugarbeet. “This helps us develop more sustainable and innovative solutions as a company. In the long term, diverse leadership teams make KWS stronger, more adaptable, and better prepared for the future.”

“We should no longer see it as ‘extraordinary’ when, for example, a pregnant woman is hired or a woman is promoted after parental leave,” says Francesca. “A woman stepping into a leadership role should be just as common as a man doing so. Only when these situations are regarded as fair and normal will we have built a truly healthy and inclusive work environment.”

Wiebke adds: “Acceptance is the first step to changes. Acceptance that even without overt privilege, men may benefit from unconscious biases that favor them in leadership settings. And acceptance that we live in a world full of gender biases, not only at work in our leadership positions. Medical research and medication or sport research and training schedules are only a couple of examples where the research and the outcome was built around men and actually for men.

An active contribution could be to engage with women and discuss their experiences and perspectives, attend workshops, read books, listen to podcasts, seek feedback as a man from your female colleagues.”

Building the future together

“Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. To assume that these are gender-based is an example of bias, whereas assessing people by their performance is founded on facts,” says Francesca.

Suelen adds: “KWS is already making good progress. For example, I was able to embark on a management position for the first time a few months ago and was assisted in that with training. Nevertheless, a mentoring program that specifically supports female managers would be really helpful.”

“Make yourself aware about the workplace norms: Who is asked to take notes or organize the next event, who speaks up in meetings?”, recommends Wiebke. “If you have a bias at your workplace, talk about it. Be an ally in discussions about gender roles at work and do not shy away. Talking about gender biases helps to normalize the topic. If you realize you have acted with bias, acknowledge it, make it visible, and talk about how to do things better or different. And create a safe space to call out biases. In this way, we can make biases visible.”

Strategic ambition “employer of choice”

“With regards to our strategic ambitions ‘employer of choice’ and ‘profitable growth,’ it is a strategic imperative for us to further strengthen our DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) across all levels of the organization,” says Zee-Won Sur, Head of Group Strategy. “We have therefore started in the GLT to take action towards strengthening our female talent pipeline and fostering more inclusion, for example with DEIB trainings for all employees.”

Experiences are always personal, but looking beyond your own department or country can help you better understand the prejudices and obstacles that female colleagues have to overcome. “In the current American culture, women tend to take a back seat,” says Jennifer. “Giving men priority to speak at meetings can ‘mute’ our ideas. It’s often the case that the group contributes to supporting an idea or objection – women shouldn’t have to worry about pitching in. Male managers could support that even more strongly, for example, by letting everyone have their say.” And she adds: “Seizing leadership positions is much easier when someone like yourself sets an example. That’s why we should encourage women more and trust in their abilities. We already have a good culture at KWS in that regard and should be aware that when we support women more, each and every one of us wins.” |