Despite the fact that women drive the fashion industry, they are not well-represented in top positions at most major fashion brands. Women spend far more on fashion than men do, make up a significant portion of the global workforce, and flood fashion schools, but men still have control over most major fashion houses—meaning that the people dictating women’s trends are often not women at all.
For an industry that caters itself almost exclusively to the female population, the absence of women holding leadership positions is jarring. Historically, only a small percentage of top fashion companies have been led by women. In 2018, it was reported that there are fewer women CEOs in fashion than in industries like aerospace or finance, fields that aren’t even remotely perceived as female-driven. The same report revealed that although one in six employees working in the fashion industry identifies as female, only 14% of the top 50 major brands are actually run by women.
This disparity is not due to a lack of talent or ambition; rather, it is bias that has kept women from moving into senior roles inside fashion’s most prominent companies. HR managers have openly admitted that they prioritize male candidates over female candidates when interviewing for managerial positions, and prefer unmarried or older women over married women of childbearing age, even if they are equally qualified for the role. These kinds of biases allow men to rise to the top while simultaneously keeping women out of top positions.
Meanwhile, the male-dominated fashion industry uses feminism as a marketing tool. The slogan “We Should All Be Feminists” arose during the 1970s, a period when feminist values were entering mainstream culture. In 2017, it resurfaced when Dior began selling cotton T-shirts showing off the statement, this time coming with a price tag high enough to feel ironic. Fashion has capitalized on feminist values, yet the industry has been far slower to meet what is actually needed—providing equal opportunities and clothing designed by women for women.
With that being said, there has been noticeable progress. Major fashion brands have been increasingly selecting female CEOs, with women now making up roughly 31% of incoming CEOs—a nearly 29% rise in just a few years.
Even with these changes, the fashion industry still isn’t the female-dominated space many people perceive it to be. When men have the power and control in an industry centered around women, everything from workplace equality to the way femininity is defined and sold is affected.
