Why Women in Agriculture Are Demanding Better Workwear: The Safety Gap You Need to Know

The Workwear Struggle for Women in Agriculture

Dairy farmer Nicole Tobes was frustrated with the lack of workwear options for women in agriculture. Women's coveralls were either far pricier than what was available for men, or of an inferior quality and missing important features like pockets that made her workday easier. After trying and being disappointed by too many options, Tobes would usually just go back to wearing men's coveralls, which were ill-fitting and uncomfortable to work in.

"Even if you have to pay more [for a woman's garment], I'm willing to do it to have something that makes my day easier, better, [to] get the job done," Tobes said during a Nov. 20 online discussion hosted by the National Women in Agriculture and Agri-food Network. "I couldn't find it. So I thought, 'Well, how hard can it be?' And here we are, five years later."

Tobes, who's based in Prince Edward Island, is the founder and owner of AgPro Workwear, which designs and manufactures coveralls for women working in agriculture. Features unique to her designs include a curved waistband, specific to a woman's shape; a crotch gusset; easy-to-adjust buckles; flexible, stretchy fabric; cut- and tear-resistant hip pockets, knees and cuffs; and, of course, lots of useful pockets.

Tobes said she spent countless hours doing research, including taking measurements from real women, and collaborating closely with the manufacturer to create a garment that would actually work for the wearer. It's "incredibly important" that women's bodies and needs are taken into account, she said, rather than just being given a smaller-sized men's coverall and expected to make do.

"You have these incredible women who get their children ready every single day … get out to the barn, take care of their animals well, take care of their children well," Tobes said. "The last thing they need is ill-fitting workwear. So it's just this massive passion of mine to make sure that they are represented well."

Research Highlights the Need for Better Standards

Research from the CSA Group confirms better standards around women's personal protective equipment (PPE) are needed to ensure they're comfortable and safe on the job site. Jennifer Teague, the CSA Group's vice-president of research and education, said there were interesting, if not surprising, findings in its 2022 study, Canadian Women’s Experiences with Personal Protective Equipment in the Workplace.

Survey data was gleaned from the responses of 3,000 women who participated. More than a third of respondents said they use PPE designed for men, with 85 per cent saying they've been hampered by their PPE at work, and about half said they had to adjust their PPE at least once per shift.

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Teague said the study analyzed data according to occupation, making clear the significance of the differences in body types between women working in different occupational groups. "So when you're making coveralls for women in the agricultural sector, that might be very different from PPE that is being designed for firefighters, for example," she said. That's why applying one set of measurements for women's PPE across sectors doesn't unilaterally meet the needs of women across industries.

"We know that women come in all different shapes and sizes, but understanding professional groups that you're looking at is also really important," Teague said.

Teague said that, in adjusting safety standards for various industries, the CSA Group has to consider not just the difference in fit between women and men, but also the difference in how their bodies function. Relaying one story shared in the survey, Teague said a Northern Ontario woman said she would refrain from drinking anything all day because she would have to completely disrobe to use the toilet. The respondent worked outside, around men, and had no easy way to privately access a washroom.

"They had urinary tract infections on a regular basis; their health was compromised because their PPE wouldn't allow them to use the washroom in a dignified way, in a simple way," Teague said. "They'd actually have to walk miles to go back and use the facility."

Teague said the CSA Group is currently undertaking a research project that will look at gender inclusivity for standards across industries. That means the committees tasked with reviewing and developing new standards will need to take into account a woman or man's different needs and ensure the standard meets them.

Entrepreneurs Step Up to Fill the Gap

It's welcome news to Janice Ryan, a Newfoundland-based entrepreneur who worked for more than two decades in the fishing industry when, she said, there was "absolutely nothing in PPE or lifesaving-type equipment" available for women. Today, Ryan aims to make it a little easier for other women working in industry through her two companies, Byron's Outpost and Byron's Industrial, which sell apparel and supplies for workers in transportation, mining, forestry and agriculture.

"I hear all the time, 'I don't want the pink vest; I don't want the pink hard hat,'" Ryan said. "'I go onto a site, I want to look like everybody else, and I want to be respected, but I want it to fit well, and I want it to be safe.'"

Shortly after she took over the business, Ryan tried to connect with several manufacturers so she could stock more workwear for women, but Tobes, of AgPro Workwear, was the only one to reply. That's a disconnect that makes it hard for women to find the workwear they need, which is a problem as more women workers enter industrial fields.

"I feel like there's a real gap between knowing where to go and get the gear to buy it, and for me supplying it," Ryan said. She's been advised by others in the industry not to focus on selling women's workwear because "it's a loss leader," meaning it wouldn't make her much profit.

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That's not deterring Ryan, however, who's pushing forward on a number of initiatives to ensure women can get the workwear they need. She's collaborating with a number of industry and educational organizations to bring stakeholders together to figure out how to connect women with the PPE that's appropriate for their workplace.

Whether it's improving standards around acceptable PPE, hosting more trade shows to promote what's out there, or other solutions, Ryan said women are an important demographic that can no longer be ignored. "We need workers. Half the population's women. Get used to it guys — we need women to work with us. This is the way it's going to be," Ryan said. "So we need the women to come in to help with these labour shortages."

The National Women in Agriculture and Agri-food Network is an initiative of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council. Its monthly online discussions examine a range of topics facing the industry.