The Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga) held its first meeting, ” Breaking Barriers: The Impact of Women in the Workplace and Social Environment ,” where professional and personal experiences were shared, as well as the challenges and successes of women in the logistics world.
Eva María Muñoz Pineda, vice president of the association, said the goal is to get to know each other, build empathy as women in logistics, and share experiences.
“The idea of holding a get-together to celebrate Women’s Day came up, and we started as a small gathering and it ended up being a huge event. Being in the industry isn’t easy, and we often face challenges, that dilemma between work, a partner, and social relationships. We think we’re the only ones, but there are many of us, and through support networks we can find solutions,” she said.
Eva Paola Rechy, a customs broker at Cargo Rechy, commented that today women “can do, say, and be whatever we want, with a high degree of responsibility and quality. Today, being a woman isn’t just a quota; it’s not about being the first to arrive; it’s not about being handed a spot or trampling on 20 or 30 others. No, it’s about responsibly acquiring the power to be, do, and say.”
However, one of the challenges she has had to face is organizing and coordinating her “passion and desire” to be immersed in the sector.
Cynthia Velázquez, treasurer of Amacarga, said that the role of women is one of transformation, of being a pillar of societies, organizations, and businesses, but “above all, of a family, which ultimately drives what you project day after day.”
Although she considered that one of the main challenges is “believing in yourself, dreaming big, achieving, achieving, and transforming, attracting women and saying yes, I can, I deserve it, and it’s possible. In the end, being a woman is an advantage. We have so many abilities, our brains allow us to do so many things at once, we are organized and faithful to what we want.”
Karina Lerma, secretary of Amacarga, explained that women are playing a more active role today due to the growing opportunities available. “We have a highly recognized role, and the opportunities have opened up incredibly to define the future we want, and our daughters can do the same. It has a lot to do with sisterhood, discipline, and organization.”
“Who hasn’t asked themselves, ‘Am I good enough?’ ‘Am I prepared enough?’ ‘Am I ready?’ It’s very difficult because we’re constantly struggling and limitations have been instilled in us, but the most important challenge is making that act of self-awareness and self-acceptance, and understanding that there will be many self-limitations, but that’s the fun part; it’s going to be part of the process,” she explained.
Monserratt Gascón, from Haf Logística , believes that we currently have the opportunity to redefine and redraw the future, always being aware of the challenges that still exist for women, but also “we are in a time of empowerment, of visibility in all areas, both professional and personal. Furthermore, it entails a responsibility to future generations to guide them so they can achieve their dreams and never settle for secondary roles.”
However, she reflected that one of the greatest challenges she has faced is overcoming stereotypes and leadership models, “but we must know what our qualities are and practice authentic, unique leadership that works for us.”
Virginia Gallardo, a representative of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) , said that today’s women must work on balancing “what we are, what we do, what we want to do, and what surrounds us.”
“We women who have specialized in logistics know that, at the end of the day, being in logistics and other sectors, it’s difficult to combine people’s different personalities, but in logistics, it’s not so difficult. We’re taking firm steps and breaking paradigms that have been barriers to development,” she said.
Eva María Muñoz Pineda announced that they will work on a proposal to hold these types of meetings regularly and will seek greater participation from women members of Amacarga.
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