RISE: Empowering Women in the Apparel Sector through Gender Equality and Systems Change
RISE is a global initiative operating in garment, footwear, and home-textile supply chains that aims to empower women workers, embed gender equality into business practices, and catalyse systemic change. It seeks to strengthen knowledge and skills among workers, influence policies, and promote gender-equality norms in factories, brands, and across the industry.
Five-Axis Transformation via RISE
Data: The programme collects and shares data on worker well-being, perception of gender norms, workplace practices, and programme impacts (e.g. changes in attitudes toward gender equality or harassment) to monitor progress and guide improvements.
Capacity Building / Technical Assistance: RISE delivers training for women workers (as well as male workers and management) on life skills, leadership, financial health, communication, problem solving, health, stress management, and workers’ rights. It also conducts workshops to build management’s awareness of gender equity, to improve workplace culture and systems.
Technology / Machinery: While the primary focus is on people and systems, RISE supports factory practices (e.g. digital tools, monitoring platforms) for reporting and tracking gender equality metrics, which may involve basic technology for data collection, communication, and training delivery.
Finance: The initiative contributes indirectly to workers’ financial stability via financial health training, and supports workplaces to adopt business practices that improve economic well-being of women (e.g. more stable employment, leadership opportunities) which can affect income. It also encourages brands and suppliers to invest in gender equality as part of their ESG commitments.
Policy: RISE engages in policy influencing by generating evidence, advocating for legal protections (especially related to gender-based violence and harassment), and promoting codes of conduct and workplace standards that support equal rights. It also works with stakeholders such as brands, suppliers, worker organisations, and governments to align practices with equitable norms.
Strategic Impact & Value Proposition
Increased Agency Among Women Workers: Participants report greater confidence, improved self-worth, and stronger ability to claim rights, challenge adverse norms, and influence decisions at work.
Reduced Gender Bias and Harassment: The initiative fosters safer, more inclusive workplace environments through behaviour change, awareness-raising, and improved grievance mechanisms, reducing acceptance of negative practices.
Improved Business Practices: Factories participating in RISE are more likely to embed gender-sensitive practices, provide leadership or supervisory pathways for women, and adopt healthier relational cultures that support retention and productivity.
Systems Change: By aligning the efforts of multiple stakeholders—brands, suppliers, worker representatives, NGOs—and collecting robust evidence, RISE catalyses broader shifts in industry norms, accelerating sustainability in gender equity.