Jennifer Herb spends a lot of time alongside railway tracks in all kinds of weather.
As a shunting attendant at DB Cargo, a subsidiary of German railway giant Deutsche Bahn, she checks brakes, inspects undercarriages and couples and uncouples freight cars.
Her work clothes have to move with her every step: bending, climbing, turning and walking kilometers on uneven ground. They must be visible day and night and protect her from snow, wind, sun and rain.
Herb usually wears a high-visibility jacket and trousers in bright orange with reflective stripes. They were made specifically for women and have a high stretch content.
“The clothing works with me, like another colleague,” wrote the shunting attendant on the blog of the Cologne-based workwear manufacturer Bierbaum-Proenen.
Poorly fitting workwear can lead to workplace accidents
High-visibility clothing used to be stiff and heavy โ especially for women forced to wear men’s designs, just in smaller sizes.
These clothes were often too tight around the hips, leaving jackets that wouldn’t close properly and sleeves that were so long they had to be rolled up.
Women were reluctant to put tools in chest pockets. Trousers pinched at the thighs or sagged at the waist. Even men’s safety shoes often failed to accommodate women’s narrower feet.
According to a 2010 British study by the Women’s Engineering Society, more than half of the respondents felt their personal protective equipment restricted them rather than kept them safe.
But it is not about beingย fashionable, these issues can reduce concentration, increase the risk of mistakes, and in the worst-case scenario, lead to workplace accidents.
Outfitters specializing in workwear for women
Larissa Zeichhardt knows the feeling all too well.
Just over 10 years ago, Zeichhardt and her sister took over the family business, LAT. The German company specializes in laying high-voltage cables along railway tracks.
As an electrical engineer, Zeichhardt had to inspect construction sites wearing men’s protective clothing, which was standard practice at the time.ย “It didn’t just look bad, it was impractical,” she said.
“I was constantly cold, and it was unsafe because I kept snagging on things. That can be life-threatening, especially in tunnels if a train approaches and you can’t slip into a safety niche fast enough because your jacket gets caught.”
So, Zeichhardt began looking for better-fitting workwear for herself and her female employees โ and found it at Bierbaum-Proenen.ย It was like “a liberation,” she recalled.
Workwear also has toย feel good
Heike Altenhofen is a product manager for workwear at Bierbaum-Proenen.
Founded in 1788, the company has been family-owned for seven generations and has been making workwear since the late 19th century.
“Women’s cuts have always existed in the medical sector,” Altenhofen explained, an area where the majority of employees were traditionally female.
In male-dominated industries, women long accepted the lack of properly fitting workwear without much complaint. There were simply no alternatives and most women didn’t think it could ever be different.
“Workwear was justย different in the past,” Altenhofen added. “You wore it because you had to.”
Today, women expect to feel at least as comfortable in their workwear as in their outdoor leisure clothing. After all, they spend up to 40 hours a week wearing it.
Sometimes it’s the details that matter most
Through a collaboration with Deutsche Bahn, the Cologne-based outfitter began tailoring high-visibility clothing to fit the female body about 15 years ago.
“Some of the women told us that they weren’t taken seriously when wearing men’s clothing,” said Altenhofen.
Female engineers and shunting attendants from Deutsche Bahn contributed their ideas and tried out the new designs. And it was often small details like bust darts, two-way zippers or an elastic waistband at the back that made all the difference.
“Our female customers told us they still wanted the clothes to look like the men’s versions and we use the same materials,” the product manager explained.
Personal protective equipment must meet the requirements of each particular workplace: visibility, freedom of movement, temperature and humidity regulation, robustness or being flame resistant.
Today, Bierbaum-Proenen makes protective equipment for companies in the construction, chemical, energy, transportationย plusย waste management and recycling sectors.
There are still relatively few women in these industries. Unlike men’s ranges, women’s fits are not always produced in advance, Altenhofen explains. “But they are developed alongside the men’s designs and certified by testing institutes. That’s why we can offer them quickly when needed.”
Sales volumes are modest, but having women’s workwear in the range is important to meet customer expectations. “Even if there’s just one woman on the job, she deserves properly fitting clothing,” said Altenhofen.
Boosting their image with women’s workwear
Some companies are now specifying women’s workwear in their tenders, according to Altenhofen. “We’ve already won contracts because of it.”
Employers who invest in gender-equitable workwear can strengthen their image and increase employee identification with the job and the company. Large corporations and their works councils are paying close attention.
At LAT, Larissa Zeichhardt is convinced that more fashionable, comfortable workwear is one reason her company attracts more applications from young women than is typical for the sector.
Sina Klein, a master roofer and influencer with nearly 82,000 followers on Instagram, also often stresses the importance of well-fitting and appealing workwear to bring more women into the trades.
Women’s workwear as a competitive advantage
“Only protective clothing that’s comfortable and people actually enjoy wearing can really protect them in an emergency,” said Lena Hojland, product director at Danish workwear manufacturer Fristads, in an interview with industry portal Bausicherheit.
“Bulky clothing often gets taken off, even in hazardous work areas,” added Hojland.
Specialized workwear for women is becoming increasingly common. Now, several manufacturers offer dedicated women’s lines, including Mascot, Kรผbler, Carhartt, Fristads and Diadora.
“Many large clients want a single workwear provider for their entire workforce, even if women only make up 10% of the workforce,” Hojland said. “If you can’t offer a gender-inclusive solution, you’re often out of the running.”
This article was originally written in German.