When it comes to functional workwear, we know there are often fewer options available for women than for men. However, as more women enter professions where this type of clothing is necessary, opportunities arise for workwear manufacturers. A recent study highlights the industries where women face the greatest difficulty finding suitable workwear.
10 Industries with a Shortage of Women’s Workwear
The British workwear company My Workwear published data in November 2024 on a study examining the position of women in the workplace. The research looked at gender pay gaps, maternity leave, menopause leave, and the availability of workwear. For this column, I will focus solely on workwear.
According to the study, there are 10 industries where almost no women’s workwear is available. These include emergency and security services, waste management and recycling, environmental services and green energy, construction, transportation and logistics, utilities and energy, agriculture and farming, electricians, plumbing, and doctors.
Increasing Equality
Are there so few women working in these industries? In many cases, the opposite is true. Looking at UK statistics, women currently make up 15% of the construction workforce, and this number is growing. Among those entering the field, 37% are women.
In agriculture, the numbers are even higher. Women represent 64% of students in agricultural programs, and in 2023, 22% of registered farmers were women. That amounts to 104,700 women in England alone who wear workwear daily—a significant number. This is not so strange when you consider that 43% of the agricultural sector worldwide consists of women. In transportation (UK), women make up 23% of the workforce (CILT UK), in waste management 27% (Biffa), and in security services 10.1% (UK Government). However, there are industries where the number of women remains very low, such as electricians (1.7%) and plumbers (1%). .
Women Leading Industries
Although women remain underrepresented in many industries, their participation is expected to grow steadily. This trend is not limited to England but is becoming apparent in many Western countries.
And this is just within traditional employment roles. While the availability of women’s workwear in environmental jobs may be limited, the UK has seen a 420% increase in women starting sole proprietorships or private companies in this field. In science, technology, and production engineering, the increase is 100%, and in construction and building companies, it’s 64.7%. . This will likely have a significant impact on the workwear industry.
Women understand better than anyone how frustrating it is to wear poorly fitting workwear. When they lead organizations, the demand for more diverse workwear options is likely to grow. So, keep an eye out—demand for women’s workwear in certain industries may surge unexpectedly.
