Publishing Our Wages

Why publish our wages?

TO PROTECT AND EMPOWER WOMEN
Most wages are oppressively low, but when a woman makes a living wage, her personal safety increases, and her children’s health, nutrition, and education increase as well. Investing in women is key to ending generational poverty as women reinvest twice as much of their income in their families compared to men (80% vs. 30-40%).

TO EQUIP CONSUMERS TO DEMAND MORE
Fashion is the largest industrial employer of women and less than 2% are actually paid a living wage. Publishing wages protects women by giving consumers a clear choice. For 100% of workers to earn a living wage it may take time, but nothing changes corporate exploitation like consumer demand (that’s you).

Why focus on women’s wages?
First, women are concentrated in the lowest-paid and least-secure jobs, so their wages indicate how we’re protecting the most vulnerable workers. Second, the end to generational poverty starts with women’s wages. Simply put, when a woman can secure a job that pays a living wage, she is able to provide for her family, allowing her children to go to school instead of work. Empowered with an education, her children are able to go after higher-paying work and are less likely to need or rely on charity, breaking generational cycles of poverty. The fashion industry employs 60 million people globally, and it’s estimated that 75% are women. In addition, studies show that for every dollar a woman earns, she invests 80 cents in her family. Men, on the other hand, invest around 30 cents in their family. Given that statistic, it could be said the best way to break cycles of poverty in families is by paying women. We believe the fashion industry is a female-oriented industry where we can have an immediate impact.

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