Women earn over half the advanced degrees in the US today—an advancement from how things were in the past, but it seems that some social quos are still hard to break. One of this is the bias of men are the dominant gender when it comes to manufacturing. Seven in ten respondents (71 percent) believe there is a pay gap between men and women in their industry. This was evidenced by a Fortune article earlier this year that listed jobs with the biggest gender pay gaps.

When it comes to leadership positions as well, 74 percent of the respondents feel that an industry bias exists towards men for leadership positions in organisations. As such, 73 percent of respondents believe women are underrepresented within organisations’ leadership teams.

However, these statistics do not mean that the industry is not changing. About half the respondents (51 percent) have seen positive changes in attitudes towards female employees. Of the female respondents, 70 percent said they would remain in their current industry should they be given a choice to start their career over, and about two thirds of respondents said they would endorse a career in manufacturing for their daughters or other female family members.

With this promising outlook, women in manufacturing may soon be getting the pay and ranks they deserve, if they are in organisations that have portrayed an industry bias. The study also included suggestions on further improving women’s positions such as by addressing gender bias head-on, leveraging internal talent, or creating a more flexible work environment.