More needs to be done to encourage women to work in the transport and logistics industry, according to a report into gender and equality released by the SA Freight Council (SAFC).
The industry is looking to change the perception that it is a male-dominated area, but alarmingly the percentage of women in the sector has actually dropped significantly in recent years.
SAFC CEO Neil Murphy said as an example, the percentage of women in the transport, postal and warehousing sector in SA had dropped by 15 per cent in the past 5 years alone, from 21.7 per cent to 18.7 per cent.
Mr Murphy says there is also a worrying trend in the pay gap between male and female workers, jumping from 5.2 per cent to 16.1 per cent since 2007.