Today at Gold Seal, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day by shining the spotlight on women in the fishing industry and the women who have made our success possible over the past 100 years.
What International Women’s Day Means to Us
As a company with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, International Women’s Day is an important occasion for us. Though we work to highlight the role of women in our company and society every day, we believe International Women’s Day plays an important role in raising awareness against gender bias and creating a platform for us to celebrate the amazing achievements of women. By celebrating these achievements, we acknowledge the important contributions of women in every part of our society.
Women in the Seafood Industry
Although it might seem that the seafood industry is dominated by men, women make up roughly 47% of the workforce. Unfortunately, women tend to be overrepresented in processing roles where they are often undervalued and undercompensated.
The Women Who Have Helped Us Succeed
At Gold Seal, we recognize that women have shaped our company and the industry as a whole. In fact, we can’t express enough gratitude to the women who have worked across all aspects of our business, from those in processing and canning to those in managerial and leadership roles.
Since the early days, Gold Seal’s cannery lines were made up primarily of women while men worked mainly on fresh fish. Each canning season Gold Seal employed around 100 plant workers with roughly equal representation of women. These women showed unparalleled dedication, helping us to bring our customers a high-quality product in each and every can of Gold Seal. In 2010, we were honoured to receive a very special hand-made gift from a small group of these women: a large origami art piece of two salmon, one pink and one sockeye, made from Gold Seal can labels.
Today, women make up 42% of our company and hold roles across every part of our organization. We’re honoured that these women choose to dedicate their talents to helping our company succeed and can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.
On International Women’s Day, and every day, we’re grateful to all the amazing women who have helped pave the road to our success for over a century. We hope you’ll take the opportunity to reflect on the role of women today and express your gratitude for all their contributions as well.