International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate all things women, including their many contributions and accomplishments, but it is also an opportunity to understand what women are up against, particularly in male-dominated sectors like manufacturing.
According to a survey of 101 senior figures across the UK commissioned by MyWorkwear, 63 percent, or nearly two-thirds of female manufacturing leaders, face discrimination, with women still worried about their personal security and harassment. Further, 35 percent of respondents identified specific areas where their safety felt compromised in the workplace including physical safety, personal security when working alone, and challenges associated with ill-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as limited protections against bullying and harassment.
Alternately, 72 percent of women felt that both sexes now receive equal pay, though Gayle Parker, Commercial Director at MyWorkwear, noted, “Workplace equality isn’t just about pay. It’s about safety, inclusion and ensuring women feel safe when they go, attend and come back from work. The results are clearly telling us that this is not the case, and industry needs to take action to turn this worrying trend around.
“We want to encourage the next generation of female engineers and leaders to believe they can achieve anything, and this must start with ensuring the workplace is safe, inclusive and that staff are fitted out with the right clothing. It’s the basic things that can make such a huge productivity difference.
“Ill-fitting PPE and workwear might seem minor, but it sends a wider message about whether women are fully considered in workplace planning,” explained Parker. “As a workwear provider, we are engaged in regular conversations with thousands of manufacturing firms about the need for a wide range of women’s workwear options. Our data shows that nearly three quarters of women (72 percent) have been expected to wear men’s fit or unisex fit items in the workplace at some point in their career.”
The report did show that companies were trying to do their part to overcome these challenges, with 87 percent of respondents now offered women’s fit clothing as standard and 78 percent commenting on how wide the range is.
For further information or to access the full survey, please visit: https://www.myworkwear.co.uk/the-myworkwear-workplace-equality-report.
