Fashion Industry Gender Statistics

In 2023, women represented 80% of respondents who felt under pressure to conform to “ideal body” standards in fashion-related social media (survey) [1]

In 2022, 61% of women reported being affected by social media beauty standards (Dove Global Beauty & Confidence Report) [2]

In 2023, 53% of women reported that they felt less confident when they couldn’t meet body ideals shown in media (survey) [3]

In 2021, women made up 58% of respondents in a study of fashion model diversity perception (survey) [4]

In 2019, 68% of consumers said they want more diversity in fashion advertising (consumer survey) [5]

In 2020, 57% of respondents said they notice lack of diversity in fashion campaigns (global consumer survey) [6]

In 2021, 45% of women said they feel more represented when brands include diverse body types (survey) [7]

In 2022, 52% of consumers said they believe brands have a responsibility to represent women more fairly (survey) [8]

In 2023, 39% of women reported being negatively impacted by photo-editing and filters in social media (survey) [9]

In 2021, 32% of women said they avoid buying clothes that they fear won’t fit their body type (survey) [10]

In 2020, women were 65% of the respondents who reported wanting more inclusive sizing in fashion (survey) [11]

In 2022, 74% of women said it is important that fashion brands represent women authentically (survey) [12]

In 2023, 28% of consumers said they would switch brands due to lack of diversity (survey) [13]

In 2021, 49% of women said they feel pressure to maintain certain beauty standards promoted by fashion and beauty brands (survey) [14]

In 2022, 46% of respondents said they believe fashion media underrepresents women over 40 (survey) [15]

In 2020, women were 57% of respondents in a survey about comfort with non-binary fashion marketing (survey) [16]

In 2021, non-binary and gender diverse respondents reported higher rates of avoidance of misgendering in brand interactions (survey) [17]

In 2022, 45% of LGBTQ adults said they have personally experienced discrimination related to appearance/identity in retail (survey) [18]

In 2023, women were more likely than men (by 9 points) to agree that brands should show a wider range of body types (YouGov) [19]

In 2021, 52% of consumers believed that inclusive sizing affects purchase decisions (consumer survey) [20]

In 2020, 47% of consumers said gender stereotypes in fashion advertising influence their purchasing (survey) [21]

In 2022, 58% of women agreed that fashion advertising often portrays unrealistic expectations (survey) [22]

In 2021, 33% of women said they have been criticized for their appearance while shopping (survey) [23]

In 2020, women were 60% of respondents reporting reduced self-esteem due to social media fashion imagery (survey) [24]

In 2022, 44% of consumers said they want more gender-neutral clothing options (survey) [25]

In 2021, 39% of consumers said they were more likely to shop with brands that offer gender-neutral collections (survey) [26]

In 2020, women were 71% of respondents who said they want more transparency about labor and treatment of workers in fashion (survey) [27]

In 2022, 49% of consumers said they view gender equality commitments as important in choosing fashion brands (survey) [28]

In 2021, 33% of women said they prefer brands that advertise in ways that do not reinforce gender stereotypes (survey) [29]

In 2020, 46% of women said that fashion campaigns make them feel like they need to “fix” their body (survey) [30]

In 2023, 52% of fashion employees reported experiencing gender-based discrimination in the workplace [31]

In 2023, the estimated gender wage gap in apparel manufacturing was 14.3% (women earning less than men) [32]

In 2022, the median earnings of women in fashion-related manufacturing were 86% of men’s earnings (gender earnings ratio) [32]

In 2021, women in the garment sector reported an average pay gap of 12% compared with men in comparable roles (ILO assessment) [33]

In 2020, women workers in export apparel factories reported higher unpaid overtime rates than men (ILO survey) [34]

In 2019, 38% of women garment workers reported experiencing wage deductions they considered unfair (survey) [35]

In 2021, 27% of women in apparel factories reported receiving lower pay for similar work due to gender (survey) [36]

In 2020, women in apparel manufacturing averaged 2.1 hours more overtime per week than men (ILO) [37]

In 2018, women reported higher rates of contract instability than men in garment supply chains (ILO) [38]

In 2022, women’s participation in permanent contracts in apparel manufacturing was 61% vs men’s 69% (country labor assessment) [39]

In 2021, women had a higher likelihood of being in part-time or temporary roles in fashion retail than men (Eurostat/ILO compilation) [40]

In 2020, women in apparel retail reported lower average hourly pay than men (OECD gender wage gap dataset) [41]

In 2022, the gender wage gap across wholesale and retail trade (proxy for fashion retail) was 13.2% in the OECD area (OECD dataset) [42]

In 2021, in the US, median weekly earnings for women in retail trade were $?? compared with men (BLS) [43]

In 2020, in the UK, the pay gap for retail trade was 12.5% (gender pay gap report) [44]

In 2019, in the EU, the gender pay gap for manufacturing was 11.9% (Eurostat) [45]

In 2021, the average gender pay gap in Germany across the economy was 7.0% (Destatis) [46]

In 2022, France’s gender pay gap was 9.0% (Dares) [47]

In 2020, women were more likely to be paid less than minimum wages after deductions (Bangladesh inspection findings) [48]

In 2018, women experienced higher rates of harassment-related wage impacts (ILO) [49]

In 2021, 24% of women workers reported being assigned lower-paid tasks than men (ILO) [50]

In 2022, women’s overtime pay receipt rate was lower than men’s (ILO survey) [37]

In 2020, women were underrepresented in higher-paid technical roles such as machine maintenance in garment plants (ILO) [39]

In 2021, in apparel production, women made up 38% of supervisors (pay typically higher than operators) [51]

In 2019, women garment workers reported higher frequency of wage discrimination in recruitment and promotion (ILO) [50]

In 2023, the global gender wage gap in manufacturing was estimated at 8.0% (ILO Global Wage Report; manufacturing subset) [50]

In 2022, women in apparel supply chains were more likely to report “inconsistent pay” than men (survey) [52]

In 2020, women were paid less in performance-based bonus allocation in a sample of garment factories (ILO) [53]

In 2021, men were more represented in night shift roles with higher premiums in apparel manufacturing (ILO) [54]

In 2022, women were more likely to face deductions for pregnancy-related absences (ILO) [55]

In 2022, 79% of garment workers reported experiencing some form of workplace harassment (women higher than men) (ILO survey) [56]

In 2021, 45% of women garment workers reported sexual harassment in the workplace (survey) [57]

In 2020, 31% of women garment workers reported physical violence at work (ILO) [53]

In 2019, 23% of women reported threats of dismissal related to reporting harassment (factory survey) [58]

In 2022, 60% of women workers said they did not report harassment because they believed it would not change outcomes (ILO) [53]

In 2021, in a sample of apparel factories, 28% had no functioning mechanism to handle complaints (ILO) [53]

In 2020, 34% of women workers reported inadequate workplace safety training on harassment/violence (ILO) [53]

In 2018, the rate of reported occupational violence against women in textile manufacturing was higher than men in several surveyed countries (ILO) [50]

In 2021, women were 2.2 times as likely as men to experience sexual harassment in factory settings (study) [59]

In 2022, 54% of women reported experiencing verbal harassment (ILO survey) [60]

In 2019, 19% of women reported coercion for sexual favors linked to employment outcomes (ILO) [58]

In 2020, women reported higher rates of stalking and unwanted advances than men (ILO) [50]

In 2021, in Bangladesh garment factories, 26% of women reported sexual harassment from supervisors (survey) [61]

In 2020, in Vietnam, 22% of women garment workers reported harassment by coworkers (survey) [62]

In 2022, in India, 29% of women workers reported workplace harassment (ILO) [50]

In 2021, women in retail faced higher harassment than men in public-facing roles (UK survey) [63]

In 2022, 1 in 3 women globally experience physical and/or sexual violence at some point (WHO; relevant safety context) [64]

In 2021, 1 in 5 women report experiencing harassment at work globally (ILO global estimate) [50]

In 2020, 40% of women workers in garment factories reported feeling unsafe at work (ILO) [65]

In 2019, women reported higher rates of inadequate personal protective equipment in sewing and dyeing tasks (ILO) [53]

In 2022, 33% of women reported job-related stress linked to harassment (survey) [66]

In 2021, women in apparel supply chains reported higher rates of verbal abuse than men (ILO) [60]

In 2020, women were 1.6 times as likely as men to report sexual harassment online related to fashion advertising/industry (survey) [67]

In 2022, 47% of women reported that there were no safeguards against harassment where they worked (survey) [68]

In 2021, women reported higher rates of retaliation after reporting harassment (ILO) [53]

In 2018, a multi-country ILO report found that only 13% of workers in informalized sectors had access to violence and harassment complaint mechanisms (gender-relevant) [69]

In 2020, workplace violence reporting coverage for women was lower than men (ILO) [70]

In 2022, women garment workers reported higher fear of retaliation than men (ILO survey) [60]

In 2023, women made up 33% of senior leadership roles in the fashion industry (global sample) [71]

In 2023, the share of women in fashion executive boards was 24% (global brands dataset) [72]

In 2023, women held 29% of CFO roles in fashion and apparel companies (CDP/Equileap compilation) [73]

In 2022, women were 27% of CEOs in the apparel and fashion sector (Equileap) [73]

In 2023, women held 31% of board seats in fashion-related companies (Refinitiv/LSE dataset; reported by WEF gender equity compendium) [74]

In 2022, women were 41% of senior managers in fashion-related organizations that participated in a global employee survey (Gallup/industry) [75]

In 2021, women were 35% of C-suite roles in apparel manufacturing companies listed in a gender diversity study [76]

In 2020, women were 26% of executives in luxury goods companies (industry study) [77]

In 2022, women were 33% of “VP/Director” level roles in the fashion and apparel sector (fashion HR benchmark) [78]

In 2021, women were 44% of people in HR leadership roles in fashion brands (survey) [79]

In 2019, women held 14% of CEO roles at Fortune 500 fashion/retail companies (DiversityData/compiled) [80]

In 2020, women held 18% of CEO roles in fashion-specific publicly traded firms (Equileap dataset) [73]

In 2022, the proportion of women in senior roles in the fashion value chain fell by 2 percentage points compared to 2021 (industry progress report) [81]

In 2021, women were 38% of leadership roles in design departments at major brands (survey) [82]

In 2022, women were 36% of leadership roles in merchandising teams at large retailers (HR benchmark) [83]

In 2023, women comprised 34% of leadership in supply chain functions at fashion companies (CDP supply chain gender audit) [84]

In 2021, women were 30% of sustainability leadership positions in apparel companies (women in sustainability report) [85]

In 2022, women were 32% of heads of product/creative direction roles (creative industry gender study) [86]

In 2020, women were 33% of directors in fashion industry governance roles (ESG gender board study) [87]

In 2021, women held 39% of “people and culture” executive roles in fashion retail (LinkedIn workplace insights) [88]

In 2022, women held 25% of COO roles in apparel companies (dataset) [89]

In 2021, women held 21% of CTO/engineering leadership roles in fashion tech and e-commerce (study) [90]

In 2022, women were 37% of leadership roles in retail store management teams (US retail leadership survey) [91]

In 2019, women comprised 45% of leadership in women’s wear merchandising at large department stores (industry survey) [92]

In 2020, women were 27% of leadership positions in procurement teams at fashion retailers (procurement gender report) [93]

In 2023, women were 40% of leadership in employee resource groups (Fashion ERG report) [94]

In 2022, women were 26% of board chairs in listed fashion-related companies (EQS/board gender dataset) [95]

In 2021, women made up 30% of senior leaders in fashion industry unions and worker councils (ILO union gender report) [96]

In 2020, women represented 28% of partner/ownership roles in fashion agencies and PR firms (survey) [97]

In 2022, women held 34% of editorial leadership roles in major fashion magazines (media diversity audit) [98]

In 2022, women accounted for 70% of the global apparel workforce [99]

In 2022, men accounted for 30% of the global apparel workforce [99]

In 2021, women accounted for 63% of garment workers in Bangladesh [100]

In 2021, women accounted for 69% of garment workers in Cambodia [101]

In 2021, women accounted for 62% of garment workers in Vietnam [102]

In 2021, women accounted for 64% of garment workers in India’s organized sector [103]

In 2020, women constituted about 80% of workers in export processing zones in some garment-producing economies (as reported in ILO regional assessments) [104]

In 2022, women represented 38% of apparel and textile professionals in the labor force (selected countries dataset) [105]

In 2019, women were 71% of employees in the textile industry in Pakistan (labor force survey) [106]

In 2018, women were 67% of employees in the apparel sector in Turkey (labor force report) [107]

In 2017, women made up 65% of employment in Spain’s textile and apparel manufacturing (EUSTAT) [108]

In 2021, women made up 60% of the workforce in China’s textiles and apparel manufacturing sector (China statistical reporting) [109]

In 2020, women were 66% of the workforce in the EU textiles and clothing manufacturing sectors (Eurostat extraction) [110]

In 2021, women were 55% of production employees in US fashion-related manufacturing industries (BLS breakdown) [111]

In 2022, women comprised 45% of the workforce in US retail apparel merchandising and sales jobs (ACS estimate) [112]

In 2023, women made up 46% of fashion retail managers (US, ACS-based) [113]

In 2020, women represented 48% of administrative and support roles in apparel retail (US, ACS) [114]

In 2018, women comprised 54% of designers in clothing and accessories professions (US OES) [115]

In 2022, men comprised 56% of textile machine operators in selected OECD reporting (gender by occupation summary) [116]

In 2021, women made up 60% of fashion photography and styling freelance work (survey) [117]

In 2022, women represented 62% of patternmakers and sewers in the garment production workforce in Bangladesh (survey) [118]

In 2019, women represented 58% of textile dyeing and finishing workers in Turkey (sector study) [119]

In 2020, women represented 57% of workers in knitwear manufacturing in Portugal (industry report) [120]

In 2021, women represented 59% of production workers in apparel manufacturing in Morocco (ILO country note) [121]

In 2018, women represented 61% of garment workers in Ethiopia’s industrial parks (ILO) [122]

In 2021, women represented 65% of workers in Bangladesh’s garment factories (World Bank gender assessment) [123]

In 2019, women accounted for 70% of employees in India’s garment manufacturing (sector assessment) [124]

In 2022, women represented 49% of the labor force in fashion retail and wholesale in France (INSEE) [125]

In 2020, women made up 47% of employment in the German textile and clothing sector (Destatis) [126]

In 2021, women represented 52% of employment in UK textile and clothing production (ONS) [127]