Gender equality
Women workers in the textile industry often face discrimination based on gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or disability.
Women in particular regularly experience sexual harassment in the workplace, pay inequality, disadvantages in career advancement or discrimination due to pregnancy. How can this discrimination be eliminated and gender-based violence in the textile sector be overcome?
It is important that workers in production facilities know their rights and are sensitised to the issue of gender-based violence. But also the promotion of women in leadership positions and the strengthening of trade unions and participation and grievance committees as well as of women in these bodies are important approaches.
The Textiles Partnership and its members recognise that gender equality is a necessary condition for sustainable business and work. The vision of the Partnership and its members is a dignified, safe and healthy world of work in which all forms of discrimination and violence against all workers are eliminated. This is especially true for women and other vulnerable groups who are at higher risk of discrimination due to their gender, gender identity, ethnicity, migration status, disability or other socially constructed characteristics.
The Partnership and its members work to ensure the effective participation of workers, especially women, in the world of work. In doing so, the Partnership and its members are guided by relevant international standards and frameworks such as ILO Conventions 100, 111, 156, 175, 183 and 190, the UN Convention on the Rights of Women, the Gender Dimensions of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda.
- UNDP: Gender Dimensions of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2019).
- Partnership for Sustainable Textiles: Guidance Document. Due Diligence, Social Audits and Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (2021).
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
- Leitfaden Inklusion in textilen Lieferketten (2022)
- Gender Data Indicators (2022)
The Textiles Partnership aims to increase the impact of its activities by focusing on specific issues and by combining forces and resources in a meaningful way.