Plastics and our 2023 Women Breaking the Mold

Join us in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 13-14, 2023, for the Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum. The event features a full schedule of presentations, panel discussions, breakout sessions and networking opportunities for women in the plastics and rubber industries. To register, visit bit.ly/pn_wbm

Come on, Barbie. Let's go… work in the plastics industry?

Already one of the biggest movies of the year, Barbie shows a world of women holding important positions and aspirational roles: Barbieland is run by Barbies with professions such as president, journalist, physicist and lawyer. There's even an all-female Supreme Court.

Launched in 1959 by Mattel Inc. at the American Toy Fair in New York, Barbie — full name Barbara Millicent Roberts — was created by Ruth Handler after watching her own daughter, Barbara, play make-believe with paper dolls and realizing there was a gap in the market for toys that allowed little girls to imagine their future — more than just being caretakers or mothers. Over the years, Barbie has had more than 250 careers, from astronaut in 1965 — four years before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon — to surgeon, veterinarian, Air Force pilot, firefighter, business executive, scientist, robotics engineer and president.

In our Women Breaking the Mold 2023 special report, highlighted in this issue, Plastics News noted a trend: More nominees had titles of director, vice president, manager or leader than we'd seen before, and more worked in industries such as environmental health, safety, regulations and operations.

Find all 50 profiles of our Women Breaking the Mold 2023 here

"I am bound and determined to create access to STEM careers for all. In a child's mind, if you can see it, you can be it. Therefore, I make myself accessible and available to students who possess the 'STEM bug,' said Sherrika Sanders, senior technical engineer at Manner Polymers.

It reminded me of a quote from the Barbie movie: "Because Barbie can be anything, women can be anything."

When Barbie bought her dream house in 1962, women were frequently turned down for mortgage applications without male co-signers (Equal Credit Opportunity Act, 1974) and employers were not legally required to pay women equal salaries as men (Equal Pay Act, 1963). In 2022, single women owned 58 percent of homes owned by unmarried Americans. (Several WBTM honorees mentioned buying their own homes as their greatest accomplishment.)

College Graduate Barbie debuted in 1963, and in 1967, less than one-in-five women were even enrolled in college. As of 2021, the Pew Research Center reports 39 percent of women aged 25 and older have a bachelor's degree.

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When Velda Iskandar, product development specialist for Teknor Apex Co., was in college, she wrote for the online magazine Her Campus and won the Editor's Choice award for her article about "how extraordinary women like Rosalind Franklin, Mother Teresa and Malala Yousafzai demonstrate to young girls that women have the ability to leave a mark in the world beyond our physical appearance."

In 1992, Teen Talk Barbie could say 270 different phrases such as "I'm studying to be a doctor!" or "Let's start a business!" But Teen Talk Barbie could also say phrases like "I love shopping!" and "Math class is tough!" leading to uproar among parents, educators and specifically the American Association of University Women, which published a report condemning Mattel for manufacturing a doll that could discourage girls from pursuing mathematics. Mattel offered to swap any offending doll, and Mattel's then-CEO Jill E. Barad issued a statement acknowledging the company failed to consider the potentially negative implications for young girls.

In March this year, to celebrate International Women's Day, Mattel announced that it would honor seven trailblazing women who are leaders in STEM with Barbies made in their likeness. "Barbie knows that seeing is believing — and access to successful female role models in STEM is essential for children to build and maintain an interest in the industry," the company said in a news release.

For many of this year's honorees, their love of science and math led them to where they are today in the plastics industry. They've been granted patents, they've been the first woman in their company to hold a particular title, they've negotiated million-dollar deals, and they've even become CEO. Several honorees were inspired by their parents, and many others hope to inspire their daughters as well.

"My personal mold goes beyond just being a female in the plastics industry but to society in general that even in 2023 still believes women should not have careers. I believe that with the right balance, you can raise your kids and be able to have a successful career for yourself," said Jaime Shouldis, director of sales and marketing for Terra Star LLC. "As the mom to an intelligent and forward-thinking daughter, I want to show her that you really can have what you want if you put your mind to it."

Jordan Vitick is Plastics News' special project editor.

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