Citation :

Akshera Avanti Dineshkumar, "The “Pink-Collar” Workforce: Analysing the Glass Ceiling in Garment Factories in Tamil Nadu, India," International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 1-10, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V13I4P101

Abstract

The garment industries provide work to women in developing countries who are mostly employed in sewing, checking and packing. Although women comprise a significant workforce in the industry, only a few leadership positions. The challenges faced by women to claim leadership positions at workplace are referred to as “Glass Ceiling”. This study focuses on the garment industries that are located in and around Tirupur in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is an important textile manufacturing hub. Studies about gender inequality in the garment industries are conducted in countries like Bangladesh and Srilanka. Still, only a few studies have focused on India, and there is limited research about Tamil Nadu. Tirupur has many garment Industries and plays a significant role in textile manufacturing. Various methods such as semi-structured interviews, surveys and workplace observation have been used to collect data from around 135 employees working in a garment factory. The participants include workers, supervisors, executives and managers who are in the garment industry located in and around Tirupur. The study explores the challenges faced by women workers in climbing the ladder, including discriminatory treatment, lack of training, inadequate information about the promotion cycle, and communication issues. The study has highlighted that a lot of women desire to be leaders if they get the right opportunities. The research is useful for understanding why women are not treated equally in the garment industry in Tamil Nadu. It ends with offering suggestions on how workplaces can become encouraging spaces through better policy implementation. This study will provide new knowledge to the garment industry in Tamil Nadu by collecting data from the people who have worked in the garment industry. It provides useful suggestions for factory management, government policymakers, and future researchers to help create more opportunities for women to advance into leadership positions.

Keywords

Garment industry, Gender bias, Glass ceiling, Leadership, Women workers.

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