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I’ve written about this issue before, but a new study makes the reality painfully clear: women in most industries still lack properly fitting workwear. They have to hope that their employer considers their specific needs when purchasing uniforms. Despite the growing number of women in many fields, men remain the standard for workwear design.
In the agricultural sector, the frustration has reached a tipping point. Organizations are now directly appealing to workwear companies with one request: proper workwear for women.
Women lack proper workwear in most industries
British workwear company My Workwear recently published the results of a study examining women’s position across various industries. It focused on pay gaps, maternity and menopause leave, and workwear availability. Out of 25 industries surveyed, only two consistently provided women with properly fitting workwear designed for the female body (not labeled as “unisex” or simply smaller men’s sizes): cleaning services and the beauty and spa sector, including hairdressers, beauticians, and wellness center employees.
In 10 industries, women’s workwear was largely unavailable. These included emergency services and security, waste management and recycling, environmental services and green energy, construction, transport and logistics, utilities and energy, agriculture and farming, electricians, plumbers, and even doctors.
The remaining industries generally offer suitable workwear for women. These include retail, business services, food production, veterinary services, education, manufacturing, automotive, dentistry, aviation, hospitality and catering, sports, engineering, and technology.
No demand, no supply?
When there is a shortage of women’s workwear, it is often said that there must be no demand for it. After all, it is a market mechanism: if there is no demand, it is not supplied. But is that true?
When I look at the figures, this is only partly true. In England, 1.7% of electricians, 1% of plumbers and 10% of security guards are women. But there are also professions where these percentages are much higher.
For example, 23% of the transport sector consists of women. In the field of environment and waste management, it is 27% and in the agricultural sector 22%. This is a quarter of the professional group. Of British doctors, 49% are women. And then you have to consider that the last three sectors have seen an increase in the number of female employees for years.
Agricultural industry sounds the alarm: too little women’s workwear
These percentages show that men still dominate these industries. However, it’s crucial to remember that percentages only give a broad overview, not the actual number of women working in these sectors.
Take agriculture, for example. That 22% equals 104,700 registered female farmers in the UK alone. The workwear shortage in this sector is so severe that 14 organizations, led by Farmers Weekly, have banded together to request proper women’s workwear from manufacturers.
This reversal of roles seems unusual: instead of workwear companies competing for customers, customers are pleading with manufacturers to create workwear for one of the world’s oldest professions.
The industry’s appeal is understandable. Current female farmers need suitable workwear, and there’s a new generation on the horizon. With 64% of agricultural students being female, the number of women in this sector will only rise.
Looking beyond customer feedback
How is it possible that the workwear industry hasn’t addressed this sooner? In the Netherlands, the number of female agricultural students has been growing for years. Yet, overalls and coveralls for women remain scarce. The four largest Dutch hardware stores don’t even sell them.
It’s easy to blame the male-dominated workwear industry or cite dismissive remarks from manufacturers about women being a “difficult target group.” These attitudes certainly exist. But there’s another factor at play.
Many workwear companies rely heavily on feedback from their existing retailers, which makes sense—they have direct contact with end-users and know what works. However, this approach overlooks one crucial aspect: existing research. Numerous studies already provide data, facts, and figures. Competitors across the globe may also be responding to changes that local companies have yet to foresee.
Falling behind the competition
Recently, a workwear company hired me to provide data on women’s workwear. They had gathered retailer feedback but wanted objective information. Fortunately, I’ve spent over a decade writing about workwear-related studies. I was able to present statistics, examples, and trends they wouldn’t have encountered through their usual channels. (If you’re interested, feel free to email me)
It’s not surprising that different sources yield different insights. Many people don’t even know women’s workwear exists in certain sectors. If they’ve never encountered it, they won’t ask for it. But when prompted in a survey about workwear fit, they’ll readily share what works and what doesn’t—especially why unisex clothing doesn’t suit the female body.
One thing is clear: women are entering more industries than ever before. As a result, better workwear for women must be created. If manufacturers don’t respond, women will keep sounding the alarm—and companies risk falling behind their competition.
Greetings,