Among the companies that have shown themselves in the fight against gender inequality, Adidas and Gap have stood out, but even their performance is not high enough.
The Gender Benchmark ranking, compiled by the World Benchmarking Alliance, traditionally sums up the results of the year among fashion brands in terms of their attitude towards one of the most pressing problems of today's world - gender inequality. Many brands actively use the idea of supporting women in advertising or high-profile statements, but when it comes to real steps, such as introducing women to management or making it easier for them to work in production, providing parental leave or protection from sexual harassment, then Many words are at odds with deeds.
It is on the basis of real actions that the Gender Benchmark 2021 was compiled, it ranks the 35 most influential brands in the fashion market. In calculations, the company was guided by 34 indicators that assessed the attitude towards women in various areas, including the level of wages, health care, their presence in government, etc.
The top five of the rating includes such companies: in the first place with a score of 53.9 points out of 100 is Gap, on the second VF Corporation, brand owner Vans, The North Face и Timberland, closes the top three Adidas. Only these three companies managed to score more than 50 points out of a hundred. Also included in the top five Levi Strauss & Co и Traget Corporation with the brands A new day, Cat & Jack and Wild Fable.
But manufacturers such as L Brands, the owner of Victoria's Secret and Urban Outfitters were at the bottom of the list, indicating that they are lagging behind in the fight against gender inequality. Also at the bottom of the list is The Foschini Group, owner of G-Star Raw and Chinese clothing manufacturer Zhejiang Semir Garment. The average score for all participants in the rating was 29 out of 100, which is extremely low.
According to the conclusions made by the compilers of the rating, the fashion industry is currently far from achieving any satisfactory results. Some companies use best practices, while others do nothing to empower women and achieve gender equality. Only 14 of the 35 largest manufacturers have a specific gender policy.
In particular, during the pandemic, most fashion industry companies did little to nothing to alleviate the situation of women and support them in a crisis, and companies also do not take into account the needs of workers, such as the need to care for children. And even if companies can conduct assessments to identify problem areas, they often do not have mechanisms for a systematic solution to the issue.
