When women—and their specific safety needs—are considered, workplace safety increases.

Women play a key role in the workforce today. That’s a fact that we take for granted now, however, as recently as 20 years ago that was not necessarily true. As a matter of fact, women’s workforce participation increased from just 43 percent in 1972 to 57 percent today, while men’s workforce participation declined from 77 percent in 1972 to 67 percent today. This bodes well for industries with an aging workforce that were predominately male in the past—where women entering these fields can help fill the worker gap, bringing additional benefits to the workforce, as aging baby boomers retire.  

The purposeful work of a safety manager—helping to ensure workers make it home safely to their families at night—is real. And, fortunately, there’s good news for women safety professionals, where the gender pay gap has narrowed considerably. A 2018 study determined the average woman safety professionals earned 91 percent of a man’s income. As a whole, women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s have steadily increased—from 65 percent in 1980 to 82 percent in 2010—and are approaching equity for safety professionals. This trend continues as women climb the ladder, joining leadership ranks in fields that were historically dominated by men—such as in the energy sector, utilities and manufacturing.  

As women make strides professionally, the protective apparel they wear is constantly evolving and improving. As recently as ten years ago, it was difficult to find arc-rated and flame resistant (AR/FR) protective apparel—for those who face arc flash or flash fire hazards in their work environments—or EH-rated boots made specifically for women. Now, manufacturers are seeing the potential to meet the needs of this underserved market and are creating products that account for differences in style, body type and fit to meet the needs of all women. Three trends are particularly groundbreaking:  

This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

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