Role concentration patterns and limited wage transparency continue to shape gender pay outcomes across Türkiye’s fashion manufacturing industry. Women are disproportionately represented in lower-paid operational roles, with fewer pathways into higher-paid supervisory and managerial positions. The imbalance carries implications for suppliers facing stricter EU reporting and compliance expectations, including requirements under the EU Pay Transparency Directive to undertake joint pay assessments if reported gaps exceed 5% and cannot be explained by gender-neutral factors.
- Estimates place Türkiye’s gender pay gap between 15.6% and 17.4%, compared with an EU average of around 12%, reflecting structural differences in employment patterns.
- Sector data indicate women represent about 43% of production workers but only 20% of supervisors and 18% of managers or owners in assessed facilities.
- Only around one-third of surveyed companies monitor and report wage inequalities between men and women, limiting visibility into internal disparities.
- The findings have been detailed in Unpacking Pay Equity in Fashion: Türkiye, published by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) as part of its ongoing pay equity research programme.
THE STUDY: The insights paper draws on a survey of 43 Turkish textile and apparel manufacturers, complemented by interviews with trade unions and worker associations and input from social sustainability expert organisations. It examines how gender pay gaps are measured in the sector, where structural limitations in data collection constrain visibility into wage inequality, and how differing interpretations affect reported outcomes within companies.
- The research combines facility-level survey responses, aggregated primary data and expert review from organisations including the Social & Labor Convergence Program, Fair Labor Association and Anker Research Institute.
- The sample is weighted towards medium and large enterprises, which are more likely to participate in structured surveys but are not fully representative of smaller producers.
- Differences between employer survey responses and worker perspectives are noted, particularly in how gender pay gaps are interpreted and understood.
- The paper distinguishes between the gender pay gap as an aggregate earnings measure and equal pay for equal work, which applies to comparable roles within the same enterprise.
SECTOR SNAPSHOT: Female labour force participation stands at 36.8% compared with 72% for men, underscoring structural disparities beyond wage levels. Within fashion manufacturing, the report identifies role distribution, economic pressures and limited monitoring and reporting as key factors associated with observed pay disparities, rather than unequal pay for identical positions within the same grade.
- Women account for about 43% of production workers in assessed facilities but only 20% of supervisors and 18% of managers or owners.
- SLCP data indicate that 25% of Turkish facilities show a pay gap disadvantaging women, compared with 20% at the global level.
- The sector employs approximately 959,395 formally registered workers and contributes about 7.8% to national GDP, underscoring its economic weight.
- Inflation reached 75.45% in 2024 before declining to 35.41% in 2025, while reports cite more than 300,000 job losses between 2022 and 2025.
- SME dominance and subcontracting structures, including informal arrangements, complicate wage visibility and enforcement across supply chains.
ECOSYSTEM MEASURES: The paper outlines coordinated actions for policymakers, brands, other buyers and suppliers aimed at narrowing gender pay gaps and strengthening wage transparency. It frames pay equity as both a compliance requirement and an operational risk issue for exporters supplying EU markets, linking structural reform to long-term sector resilience and improved reporting consistency across supply chains.
- Policymakers are urged to expand childcare access, introduce shared parental leave, mandate gender-disaggregated pay reporting and enforce existing rules requiring companies employing more than 150 women to provide childcare facilities.
- Brands and other buyers are encouraged to adopt responsible purchasing practices, request robust pay data and support gender-responsive workplace systems.
- Suppliers are advised to analyse internal pay gaps, formalise employment and implement gender-neutral hiring and promotion systems to improve wage transparency.
- The recommendations emphasise stronger oversight of subcontracting arrangements and improved access to wage information for workers across supply chains.
WHAT THEY SAID
Pay equity is fundamental to build a fair and resilient fashion industry. This research shows that gender pay gaps in Türkiye's fashion manufacturing sector are real, but they are also addressable. As progress depends on coordinated actions – from policymakers strengthening enabling frameworks, to brands adopting responsible purchasing practices, and suppliers embedding transparent, gender-responsive wage systems that reflect the realities of women's working lives – GFA will continue to accelerate impact by mobilising the industry toward a more resilient future.
— Federica Marchionni
Chief Executive Officer
Global Fashion Agenda
