With more and more women taking on roles that require workwear, a question is constantly asked to “where can I buy fit-for-purpose workwear clothing for women?”  Gone are the days of the tough hardworking clothing.  Today’s tough hardworking clothing is now moving into a fashionable, comfortable, supportive product.

Gender shouldn’t be a trade-off for comfort on the job site.

You can’t perform at your best when you don’t feel comfortable with what you’re wearing. Wearing ill-fitting clothes and not having the correct work uniform can make you feel uncomfortable and out of place; and this is just as prevalent on the job site.

In trade professions, physical tasks demand that you be mobile, agile, and not restricted by your apparel. Plus, having the same workwear as your colleagues allows you to feel a part of the team and gives you a sense of belonging. Yet women’s workwear in the trade industry has often fallen short.

With the recent pandemic and a dire skills shortage across the board, an increasing focus is being placed on recruiting and supporting women as they transition into trade roles. Not only does greater female representation across the trade industry across job sites and offices help reduce a staffing gap, but concrete evidence suggests that having more women on the team increases an organisation’s productivity, profitability and improves workplace culture.

A study by Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) and Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) looked at 4,841 reports submitted by Australian businesses capturing the data of roughly 4.3 million employees. The results showed that an increased share of 10 percentage points of top-tier female managers led to an increase of 6.6% in the market value of ASX-listed companies – which equated to around AUD$104.7 million.

Another study conducted by McKinsey & Company showed that companies that had greater workplace gender diversity were up to 21% more profitable. Yet, in the male-dominated trade industry in Australia, women make up only 2% of the workforce.

To help reduce the diversity gap and encourage women to consider a career in trade, state governments across Australia are implementing plans to support access to training and encourage women to stay in the industry long term.   The NSW State Government launched in December 2022 a commitment to triple the number of women working on construction sites which kicks into action with the release of the Industry Innovation Program.  “This $10 million grant program will support industry-led initiatives to break down the barriers stopping women from considering a career in construction. NSW Government’s goal of reaching 15% women in trade and non-traditional construction roles by 2030. The NSW State Government Women in Construction and their website provides an overview of State Government programs to support female students to discover training and career paths which incorporate VET in schools, school-based apprenticeships, traineeships, jobs, courses, upskilling and more in the construction industry.  The website enables industry and employers to discover ways to make your worksites more inclusive and diverse and how the NSW Government can assist business by sponsoring initiatives that welcome and encourage more women into the industry.

The Victorian Government, with the help of the Building Industry Consultative Council (BICC), has launched the Building Gender Equality: Victoria’s Women in Construction Strategy 2019-2022. This will mandate that state construction projects have female representation in at least 3% of trade roles, 7% of non-trade roles and 35% of management, supervisory or specialist roles. High-level changes like these are a great step in the right direction, but how do we help promote gender equality in the workplace on a more individual or company level?

Dr Phillippa Carnemolla is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, who studied female high school students’ perceptions of the construction industry. She points to the need for female role models in leadership positions, better career guidance in schools that show trades as a viable option for women, and for leading companies to reform their company culture to be more inclusive.

A simple way that women can feel more included and comfortable on the worksite is to have fit-for-purpose apparel. A company leading the way in developing specific workwear tailored to women is Workwear Group, across both their KingGee and Hard Yakka brands.

“We recognise women are becoming an integral part of the industrial workplace, as such makes complete sense to have the right apparel and footwear to suit individual needs, irrespective of gender,” says Peter Allery, National Sales Manager (Safety), Workwear Group.

“Each brand has reviewed their range of workwear and high visibility clothing, to design them for women’s figures and take into consideration comfort, fit and covering modesty areas effectively. This means female tradies can get stuck in and feel confident and at ease on the job site,” says Peter.

KingGee has committed to ensuring there is a female equivalent of every male garment in their range. New features include:

• New pants in two cuts to suit different body types (straight and curved)

• A women’s style in the fleece and puffer jacket range

• A new stretch denim style to accommodate fit and boot height

“At Blackwoods, we’re conscious of the ever-changing face of the construction, government & local councils, infrastructure, and mining.  It’s terrific to see gender parity in apparel and footwear, and now it is a reality. It not only means greater comfort and inclusion for women, it’s also about greater productivity on the job site,” says Leigh Eam, NCSM – Apparel & Footwear, Blackwoods.

Whether you’re on the job site, in the office or on the road, every team member should feel safe, included and part of the team. While there is a long way to go to get to gender parity in the trade industries, getting women the right workwear is a first step towards a more equal and balanced workplace.  Blackwoods also support a range of maternity workwear.

Check out the Blackwoods Uniform Solutions Guide at: https://www.blackwoods.com.au/uniform-solutions-catalogue?c=blackwoods-uniform-solutions

Blackwoods:  www.blackwoods.com.au