Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives on Gender in Humanitarian Logistics

Abstract

Logistics is continuously portrayed as a male dominated field, with a focus on 'male' skills and even vocabulary. Prior studies in humanitarian logistics, however, suggest not only a lack of, but also a need for, female humanitarian logisticians. This paper presents the findings from a survey on the gendered nature of logistics skills. Particular attention is paid to the discrepancy between quantitative and qualitative findings from the survey. Findings also highlight situations in which the gender of the logistician has an effect on logistics performance. The hazardous working environment of humanitarian logisticians favours male logisticians for security reasons, but needs female humanitarian logisticians in order to access and understand (female) beneficiaries.