Event Details

Gender has matured as an important subject of study within several fields of management research, but the operations and supply chain management (OSCM) literature has remained relatively gender blind. Recent OSCM literature acknowledges this ‘gender gap’ and underlines the relevance of gender issues by pointing to the exploitation of women in garment supply chains.

It is estimated that 80-90% of the industry’s workers are women, often undertaking low-skilled, underpaid, and precarious roles. In contrast, most supervisors and managers are male, creating a dynamic that enables or enhances the feminisation of labour. This presentation reflects on an action research project with a garment brand that designed a gender due diligence program to support women workers in the supply chain. The research was supported by a broad set of interviews with a range of brands, suppliers, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify the inequalities facing female garment workers and the role that brands can play in tackling them. For example, the importance of collaboration between both traditional and non-traditional supply chain actors is identified, including in the coordination of supplier development initiatives that mainstream gender considerations across the upstream supply chain. Barriers to achieving greater gender equality within supply chains are also discussed. This includes competition for limited internal resources, with gender yet to become the number one priority on the sustainable supply chain management agenda.

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