“It will take years to see more women in positions of responsibility”
Teresa Gil is a young woman who, with only 28 years old, holds the position of Financial and Marketing Manager in the agricultural machinery company Sembradoras Gil, founded in 1954, and member as an entity of Ansemat (National Association of Agricultural, Forestry and Agricultural Machinery).
By Marga López, agrifood journalist
We can say that the presence of Teresa Gill in this position is an exceptionality, for two reasons: the first for her youth, however before reaching this position she has been trained for 5 years outside of this family business. She is a clear example of the generational change taking place in the agricultural sector. And the second reason, and the fact that justifies this interview, for being a woman: seldom a woman occupies positions of responsibility within a sector as masculinized as agriculture in general and machinery in particular.
For all this Teresa Gil inspires us in Agro Woman, and with her we talk about how she perceives, as a woman, the agricultural world and how she sees it in a few years in terms of gender equality.
Since when do you work at Sembradoras Gil and how has your responsibility evolved within it?
I have always been clear that I wanted to work in the family business, but my parents set me two conditions: the first was to train and the second to gain previous experience in other entities. And so I did, I have a degree in Business Administration and Management and for 5 years I was working in other companies, learning and acquiring knowledge to be able to apply them to my business. A Sembradoras Gil I arrived two years ago, covering a low and administrative tasks. Since then I have gone through several departments to the present, assuming little by little more responsibility, currently performing tasks of financial and marketing manager.
It is a sector, that of agricultural machinery, very masculinized …
It is true, especially when you go to fairs and sales to the countryside is more to what is seen, it is not like that within our company, where there is an important presence of women. I also have to admit that I have never noticed a different treatment for being a woman. Regardless of whether the seas are male or female, you have to prove your worth, your knowledge and experience, and that is what society should be clear about: that you should not discredit or praise the woman, but value what she contributes as a person , to the Sector, a company or the company.
Will we see more women in positions of responsibility in this sector?
I think it is a slow process, but also because we are few people who currently work on it, therefore, we reach the address faster than in other places. Anyway, once the sales in the field and you know the stories of each farm, you realize that there are really many women working in the field, although they are not visible. I also have to recognize that the decision about what machinery to buy or invest, is taken, in many cases, by women even though the visible face is man.
