Vague concepts and issue washing: women’s empowerment in fashion supply chains

Guerra-Scheiwiller, Eva Marina, Karaosman, Hakan and Marshall, Donna 2024. Vague concepts and issue washing: women’s empowerment in fashion supply chains. International Journal of Procurement Management 20 (4) , pp. 462-500. 10.1504/IJPM.2023.10058814

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Abstract

This paper explores women’s empowerment in fashion supply chains, providing a definition and an analysis of women’s empowerment reporting by major fashion brands. Using a systematic literature review, we identified 45 articles on women’s empowerment in supply chains and developed a theoretical framework. We applied the framework to seven multinational fashion groups and analysed their communication materials over five years. Women’s empowerment programmes, initiatives and actions are not aligned with women’s empowerment definitions. To operationalise women’s empowerment within supply chains, women workers must be able to procure leadership positions and have the opportunity to intervene in the decision-making process where local, cultural, and social contexts are considered. We provide insights into women’s empowerment including, the need for a consistent definition and the first steps to develop a framework towards women’s empowerment in fashion supply chains while also identifying the drivers, impeders, enablers and outcomes of women’s empowerment in supply chains.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Inderscience
ISSN:	1753-8440
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 July 2023
Date of Acceptance:	14 July 2023
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 00:14
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/161169

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