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Gender equality and living wages in the Turkish garment industry
The aim of the project
This project aims to identify, analyse, and test policies and actions for garment brands and suppliers to improve their due diligence and responsible business conduct around two areas. In other words, how can brands and suppliers improve both:Â
payment of a living wage;
gender equality, with a focus on violence and harassment.
The project is divided into Project A, research on these issues in the Turkish garment industry, and Project B, testing actions and approaches to improve these issues. Project A is now complete, and we want to share the results with you.
Living wages
The research on living wages focused on the wages paid to workers at selected suppliers. The research focused on gaining insight into workers' ability to support their families and how this relates to business practices between sourcing brands and their suppliers. Additionally, we looked into the gender pay gap, as this is a common issue in the textile and garment industry.Â
We know that living wages are uncommon and a difficult issue in Türkiye. The high inflation and economic instability in Türkiye have increased the cost of living at high rates. Even though the minimum wage has increased every six months, it is not enough for workers to support their families. The research also found that the gender pay gap between men and women workers remains a critical issue. We must work towards increasing wages to improve the quality of life of the people who make our clothes.
Violence and harassmentÂ
Through interviews with 306 workers at 18 Türkish suppliers and supplier surveys, we gained valuable insights into violence and harassment in the Turkish garment industry. During these interviews, a safe space was created for workers to be able to share all their work-life experiences.Â
The results indicate that about one in five women reported experiencing inappropriate workplace behaviour by a colleague, supervisor, or manager. 30% of the respondents stated that they were occasionally subjected to physical violence, and 55% reported being subjected to occasional emotional pressure and mobbing. You can find more detailed results in the full report.Â
Though the results are, of course, devastating and not what we hoped to find, they do reflect the garment industry as a whole, in which gender-based violence and harassment remain pressing issues. We are proud to provide evidence for what we know to be often hidden and ignored within global garment supply chains through this research. All over the world, women experience violence in the workplace and personal space. We must battle this issue everywhere.
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