As we mark International Women’s Day, it is important to reflect on the persistent gender inequalities embedded in the fashion industry—an industry powered predominantly by women yet largely led by men. From production lines to corporate offices, the systemic challenges of gender bias, pay disparity, and exclusion continue to hinder progress toward a more equitable fashion sector.

Gender Equality 

Global Fashion Agenda and PwC’s 2024 report, Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Italy, found that Women represent approximately 60% of the workforce in Italy’s fashion manufacturing sector, yet only 27% hold leadership positions. This pattern is not exclusive to Italy; across global supply chains, women remain underrepresented in decision making roles, reinforcing gendered power imbalances.

Vertical segregation further exacerbates inequality, with women disproportionately filling low paid positions. In Italy’s leather and tanning sector, for instance, 66% of workers are women, yet leadership positions remain predominantly male. The textile industry follows a similar pattern, where only 17% of managers are women.

Motherhood often compounds these disparities. Nearly half (43%) of Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Italy survey respondents believe that having children negatively impacts women’s career progression. Data reveals that in Italy, while the employment rate for women without children stands at 71%, it drops to 58.4% for mothers. In stark contrast, men with children enjoy higher employment rates (91.1%) compared to their childless counterparts (84.8%), reflecting entrenched traditional gender norms that disadvantage women in the workforce.

Worldwide, migrant and informal workers, many of whom are women, face higher exploitation risks due to weak legal protections and the absence of collective bargaining rights in many garment producing countries. Alarmingly, gender based violence and harassment remain pervasive: a study in Cambodia revealed that 87% of garment workers reported verbal harassment or unwanted touching based on their gender.

Bridging the Gap

Despite these challenges, solutions are within reach. Implementing structured career advancement programmes can help address leadership disparities. With only 5% of companies surveyed offering extended paid paternity leave in Italy, encouraging equal caregiving responsibilities is essential to dismantling traditional gender roles. Furthermore, emerging frameworks like the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive are pushing brands to take greater responsibility for gender equality across supply chains.

Fair Wages

Although Italy’s unadjusted gender pay gap stands at 4.3% (lower than the EU average of 12.7%), deeper analysis reveals a wage discrimination gap of 10.9% when accounting for job roles, education, and experience. Women in Italy’s textile industry earn 19% less than men, with daily wages averaging €80 compared to €107 for men. The gap is equally stark in the leather and tanning sector, where women earn €82 per day versus €100 for men.

Globally, wage disparities remain severe. In Bangladesh, men earn up to 30% more than women for similar work, while in Pakistan (64.5%) and India (34.6%), the pay gap is among the highest in garment producing countries.

Driving Wage Equity

Several systemic barriers prevent progress in closing the gender pay gap. In the case of Italy, while 80% of CEOs interviewed claimed there is no gender pay gap in their companies, only 50% of large firms actively monitor wage disparities. Mandatory pay reporting and transparency laws are needed to enforce accountability. In Italy, where 81.3% of fashion manufacturers are small enterprises, pay equity laws do not apply to such companies. Extending fair wage policies to SMEs and subcontractors is critical. Additionally, over 70% of part time workers in Italy’s textile industry are women, limiting career growth and financial stability. Equal pay policies for part time roles and pathways to full time employment are necessary. Beyond Italy, there are some promising examples of supportive initiatives to resolve these issues –  such as Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) which demonstrates how targeted financial assistance can reduce economic insecurity for women in the garment sector, offering a model for broader industry reforms.

Responsible purchasing practices are crucial for improving wages, ensuring timely payment, stable employment and fair compensation. They affect pricing, deadlines, and brand disengagement, impacting workers’ wages across the value chain. According to the 2023 ACT Accountability and Monitoring Report, signatories have made notable strides with an 8-point improvement in brands including wages as itemised costs in purchasing prices, a 2.6-point increase in fair payment terms, an 11-point rise in brands committing to responsible sourcing training and an 18-point increase in practicing responsible exit strategies.

Creating an Equitable Industry

While diversity and inclusion efforts have improved in consumer facing roles such as marketing and fashion shows, internal progress at corporate and supply chain levels remains slow. Half of the surveyed large fashion companies still lack policies ensuring equal pay, and DE&I awareness is particularly low among small and medium-sized enterprises.

Furthermore, gender based discrimination is often intertwined with other forms of exclusion, including race, migrant status, and employment type. A lack of supply chain transparency exacerbates these issues, as many Italian brands outsource production to subcontractors with unregulated labour conditions.

The Path to Inclusion

For genuine inclusion, fashion brands must go beyond surface level commitments. Standardised corporate accountability measures are needed to track disparities in wages, promotions, and hiring. Leadership teams should also undergo training to counteract bias in promotions and strive for objective performance evaluations. Crucially, brands must be held accountable for ethical labour practices throughout their entire supply chains, ensuring and supporting subcontractors to adhere to fair labour standards.

Looking Ahead

As the fashion industry works toward greater sustainability and ethical labour practices, achieving gender equality, fair wages, and inclusion must be central to these efforts. International Women’s Day serves as a crucial moment to not only reflect on these challenges but to commit to systemic change.

By implementing stronger policies, increasing transparency, and promoting equity across all levels of the fashion supply chain, the industry can become a true force for empowerment.

Now is the time for fashion brands, policymakers, and industry leaders to take action—because a truly sustainable and ethical fashion industry must be one where all workers, regardless of gender, are valued, protected, and paid fairly.

Download Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Italy to find out more.