Women hold just 26% of manufacturing jobs, according to Labour Force survey data, making it a male-dominated industry.
This gender imbalance comes as no surprise, as a new study by personalised uniform, workwear and PPE suppliers, MyWorkwear, has revealed manufacturing work to be one of the least inclusive industries for women, which may inhibit further growth or female representation within the sector.
As a branded workwear provider who regularly collaborates with businesses across multiple industries, and actively discusses the need for women’s workwear options, their study looked to highlight further gender inequalities within the world of work.
The study not only looks at accommodated workwear options for women, but also other factors, such as the gender pay gap, enhanced maternity pay options and menopause leave to decipher the ranking.
Flexible workwear
The majority of industries studied, inclusive of the manufacturing industry, provide very few female workwear options apart from some such as cleaning and beauty.
Gayle Parker, Commercial Director at MyWorkwear comments on the study: “We actively speak to our customers and prospects across multiple industries to understand the concerns with female workwear and often, similar feedback is raised each time.
“Feedback often includes buttons gaping on the chest, either too tight of a fit or too loose, and we sometimes hear that buyers can mistake unisex for women’s fit or simply order a smaller size in a men’s fit. All of these design issues can impact how a woman feels in the workplace and their overall efficiency.
“Female workwear is regularly spoken about at industry events, which have led to improvements from some of our suppliers, but there is still a long way to go. Having spoken to women within male-dominated industries, such as manufacturing, some aren’t even aware that female workwear options exist.
“To improve, workwear suppliers and industry leaders must work together and continue to speak to women within these sectors on how they can best be accommodated. From our perspective, we provide in-depth knowledge on women’s fit options when required, such as providing samples and advising where logos will sit on the garment, in addition to providing size guides.”, she concludes.
Gabriella Overton, Business Development Manager at Western Global, tells MyWorkwear of how female workwear is ill-fitting and may even be sexualising women in the workplace.
“Workwear, including uniforms, often seems to be designed with a male-centric approach, making it unsuitable for female anatomy. For instance, even workwear blouses designed for women tend to be very tight, slimline and targeted to a more petite hourglass frame, which does not accommodate the diverse body types of most women and can make you feel very vulnerable in a workplace setting or trade event.
I would even go as far as to say that I feel these types of workwear for women potentially sexualise us in the workplace – totally unnecessarily in my opinion!”
Nicki Nye Senior Warehouse Operative & Coordinator at Phoenix Contact adds, “While there is options for women they are still not very flattering and they are often ill fitting. It is much more comfortable carrying out your duties if workwear fits better when you are wearing a uniform on a daily basis.”
She says that as more women join the manufacturing workforce, “the workwear needs to move with the change.”
Gender Pay Gap
The manufacturing industry was found to have a concerning gender pay gap of 15.9%. When compared to other professions, such as those within the medical profession, this was a wide gap, and shows there is still room for progression. Nurses, for example, see a gender pay gap of 4.3%.
Maternity Pay
An analysis of maternity pay offerings reveals that women working within the manufacturing industry may fall short, as the study shows very little enhanced maternity pay. Whilst female workers are entitled to statutory maternity pay, many claim this is an ‘unliveable’ income, with a shocking 9% of women taking no maternity leave whatsoever due to how little they receive. Just over half of the industries studied by MyWorkwear had some form of enhanced maternity pay in place, such as education and medical.
Menopause leave
Menopause leave is a relatively new workplace adaptation for women that has been recognised by the government as of late. Despite being a recently recognised initiative, half of the industries studied showed to have at least some form of menopause policy and support in place. The study highlighted that some of the manufacturing industry do integrate certain policies, which is a step in the right direction.
According to industry experts, these blockers for women in the manufacturing industry must adapt and improve to attract and retain female talent, not only to be more inclusive, but to further close the skills shortage gap.
For more information on the gender workwear gap and how the industry can take action, visit: www.myworkwear.co.uk/company/the-gender-workwear-gap
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