Women artisans at the Anushree block printing workshop, skilled makers who form the backbone of Indian textile production

SLOW FASHION

Women IN INDIAN
TEXTILE PRODUCTION

Women are the backbone of the global garment industry ~ yet they remain among its most vulnerable workers. In India, the story of textiles is inseparable from the story of women.

Indian textile artisan in red headscarf working with brown fabric at Daughters of India production facility, demonstrating traditional handcrafted textile techniques

The Invisible Majority

THE HANDS THAT shape the cloth

Women's hands have shaped India's textile heritage for millennia ~ from field to fabric to finished garment. Globally, women make up an estimated 80% of garment workers, yet despite being the majority of the workforce, they consistently occupy the lowest-paid positions and have the least access to leadership roles.

This is not a coincidence. The global fashion industry's reliance on low-cost labour disproportionately affects women because, in many garment-producing countries, women face structural disadvantages that make them more vulnerable to exploitation ~ limited access to education, cultural expectations around caregiving, restricted mobility, and legal frameworks that inadequately protect their rights. The result is a system that depends on women's work while undervaluing it.

India's textile sector is no exception to this pattern. But it is also a place where the story is more complex and, in some cases, more hopeful than the global statistics suggest.

Artisan hand block printing the Daughters of India ZURI WRAP using traditional carved wooden blocks on natural cotton fabric
Women artisans gathered at the block printing workshop, smiling together as a team at Daughters of India production facility
Artisan maker at work during five year anniversary feature

From Field to Finished Garment

WOMEN ACROSS the supply chain

01

Cotton Farming

India is the world's largest producer of cotton by area, and cotton farming is heavily dependent on women's labour. Women make up an estimated 75% of the agricultural workforce in rural India, yet they own less than 2% of agricultural land. This stark disparity means that women perform the majority of the physical work ~ planting, weeding, picking ~ while having almost no ownership or decision-making authority over the land they cultivate.

The consequences are significant. Women cotton farmers often have no access to credit, cannot negotiate prices for their crop, and are excluded from agricultural extension services and training programmes that might improve their yields and income. They bear the health risks of pesticide exposure while receiving the smallest share of the economic returns.

This is why initiatives like the Saheli Kapas Cotton Project ~ supported by Daughters of India through monthly donations to Saheli Women ~ matter so profoundly. The project works directly with female cotton farmers, providing them with training, quality seeds, low-water growing practices, and direct income. The pilot began with just five women and their farms.

02

Spinning and Preparation

Historically, spinning was almost exclusively women's work in India. The image of women spinning cotton on the charkha (spinning wheel) is deeply embedded in Indian cultural identity ~ most powerfully through Mahatma Gandhi's use of the charkha as a symbol of self-reliance and resistance during the independence movement. While much spinning is now mechanised, hand spinning continues in many communities, and women remain central to the preparation of yarn and fibre for weaving and dyeing.

03

Weaving

India's handloom tradition employs an estimated 4.3 million people, many of them women. In some weaving traditions ~ such as the Ikat weaving of Odisha or the silk weaving of Kanchipuram ~ women play specific roles, often responsible for warping, winding bobbins, and preparing the loom, while the weaving itself is done by men. In other traditions, women are the primary weavers. The division of labour varies by region, community, and tradition, but women's involvement is universally essential.

04

Dyeing

Dyeing has traditionally involved both men and women, though the roles have often been divided along specific lines. Women frequently prepare the fabrics for dyeing ~ washing, scouring, mordanting ~ while the mixing and application of dyes has more commonly been done by men. In block printing workshops, women are increasingly involved in the printing itself, as well as in the preparation of dye trays, fabric stretching, and post-printing washing and drying.

05

Stitching and Finishing

This is where women's presence in India's garment industry is most visible. Cutting, stitching, embellishment, and finishing work is performed overwhelmingly by women. Skills such as embroidery, beadwork, tassel-making, and hand-finishing are often passed from mother to daughter and represent deep repositories of knowledge and artistry.

At Daughters of India, women artisans specialise in many of these finishing skills. Shushila, who has been with the company for eight years, specialises in tassels, tagayi (a traditional finishing technique), and hand stitching. Her expertise represents years of practice and refinement ~ skills that cannot be replicated by a machine.

80%

Of global garment workers are women

75%

Of India's agricultural workforce are women

25 → 75

Growth of DOI's women artisan team

$10K

Monthly charitable commitment to women's causes

“The women who make your clothes are not abstractions. They are people with names, families, skills, and aspirations. Remembering this ~ and choosing accordingly ~ is perhaps the most meaningful thing any of us can do.”

Daughters of India

Women artisans sorting and inspecting freshly printed fabric laid out on the floor at the production workshop

A weaver at her loom ~ the rhythm of thread and shuttle, repeated thousands of times each day.

Systemic Barriers

THE CHALLENGES women face

01

The Wage Gap

Women garment workers in India earn, on average, significantly less than their male counterparts for comparable work. The gender pay gap in India's manufacturing sector is estimated at 20-30%, and in the informal textile economy ~ where many women work from home or in unregistered workshops ~ the gap can be even wider. Women are also less likely to receive overtime pay, bonuses, or social security benefits.

02

Informal and Home-Based Work

A significant portion of women's textile work in India takes place in the informal sector ~ at home, in small unregistered workshops, or as piece-rate subcontractors. These workers are effectively invisible in official statistics. They have no employment contracts, no health coverage, no sick leave, and no recourse when orders dry up or payments are delayed. Yet their work is essential to the industry's output.

03

Caregiving Burden

Women in India bear a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic and caregiving work. For women garment workers, this means managing the demands of a job alongside responsibility for cooking, cleaning, childcare, and often the care of elderly family members. The lack of affordable childcare near garment factories is a significant barrier to women's employment and advancement.

04

Health and Safety

Women garment workers face specific health risks, including musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive stitching movements, respiratory problems from fabric dust and chemical exposure, and urinary tract infections from inadequate toilet facilities and restricted bathroom breaks. Pregnant workers face particular vulnerabilities, and maternity protections are often inadequately enforced.

05

Harassment and Discrimination

Sexual harassment remains a pervasive problem in garment factories across South Asia. Women workers report verbal abuse, unwanted physical contact, and pressure from supervisors. Fear of losing their jobs prevents many from reporting incidents, and internal complaint mechanisms ~ where they exist ~ are often ineffective.

Woman artisan at the Daughters of India workshop, portrait showing her skill and dedication to handmade textile production

A DIFFERENT model ~ WHAT DOI DOES

Daughters of India does not claim to have solved the systemic challenges facing women in India's textile industry. But within its own operations, it has made specific choices that reflect a commitment to women's empowerment and equity.

The women artisan team at the Daughters of India facility has grown from 25 to 75. The facility employs roughly 100 staff with an approximately equal gender split. Workers manage their own hours ~ addressing one of the most persistent barriers women face in formal employment. There are no production deadlines, removing the pressure that disproportionately falls on women. And continuous employment provides the stability that allows women to plan, save, and invest.

Women artisans at Anushree workshop, part of the growing team

In Practice

EMPOWERING WOMEN through practice

The women artisan team at the Daughters of India facility has grown from 25 to 75. This growth has not been incidental ~ it reflects a deliberate effort to create more opportunities for women within the workshop. As the team has grown, so has the range of skills and specialisations that women contribute, from block printing preparation to intricate hand-finishing work.

The facility employs roughly 100 staff with an approximately equal gender split. In an industry where women often occupy only the lowest-paid roles while men dominate supervisory and technical positions, a balanced workforce signals a different set of values. Avneet's facility has also been involved with the UN women's branch, reflecting a commitment to gender equity that extends beyond the workshop floor.

This single practice addresses one of the most persistent barriers women face in formal employment: the inflexibility of working hours. When women manage their own hours, they can balance work with caregiving responsibilities, attend to family needs, and structure their days in ways that reflect their lives as whole people, not merely as units of labour. This flexibility is offered without penalty to wages or job security.

Production deadlines in the garment industry are overwhelmingly borne by women workers. When a brand demands that an order be completed by a certain date, it is women who are pressured into overtime, who skip meals and bathroom breaks, who work through illness and exhaustion. The absence of external production deadlines at the Daughters of India facility removes this pressure entirely. The work proceeds at the pace of the craft, and the people doing the work are not sacrificed to a calendar.

Seasonal layoffs disproportionately affect women because women are typically the first to be let go and the last to be rehired. Continuous employment provides the stability that allows women to plan for their families, invest in their skills, and build financial security over time.

Indian artisans inspecting block-printed blue and white textiles during quality control at a Daughters of India production facility

Quality, care, precision ~ the finishing touches that distinguish handmade from machine-made.

“Shushila has been with Daughters of India for eight years. She specialises in tassels, tagayi, and hand stitching ~ intricate finishing work that requires patience, precision, and deep skill. Her story represents what becomes possible when women are given stable employment, fair wages, and the time to develop their craft.”

Shushila's Story

Three women artisans working together at the garment-making facility

DAUGHTERS OF INDIA'S charitable COMMITMENT

$10,000 every month. Two partnerships. One shared purpose: changing the story for women across India's textile supply chain.

Sewing the Seeds: $5,000 per month to an organisation that works with women from nomadic, tribal, sex worker, and disabled communities. In 2025, the programme provided 10 women with employment and 18,176 hours of paid work. The programme has since moved to its own centre and offers interest-free micro-loans to participants.

Saheli Women ~ Saheli Kapas Cotton Project: $5,000 monthly to support female cotton farmers with training in sustainable growing practices, access to quality seeds, low-water cultivation techniques, and direct income. The pilot began with five women and their farms ~ demonstrating that supporting women at the very beginning of the supply chain creates a foundation of equity that flows through the entire garment-making process.

Daughters of India artisan maker stands beside The Zuri dress, a block-printed mustard cotton piece she helped create in our Indian production facility
Smiling woman artisan at the block printing workshop
Artisan working at the sewing facility with bright yellow wall behind

THE BIGGER picture

The challenges facing women in India's textile industry are structural and systemic. They will not be resolved by any single brand's practices, however thoughtful those practices may be. Real change requires policy reform, stronger enforcement of labour laws, investment in women's education and land ownership, affordable childcare, and a fundamental shift in how the global fashion industry values the work of women.

But structural change is made up of countless individual choices and commitments. Every brand that pays women fairly, provides them with stable employment, and treats their skills with respect contributes to a different narrative ~ one in which women's work is valued, women's voices are heard, and women's futures are their own to shape.

Every garment purchased from a brand that operates with these values sends a signal about the kind of industry consumers want to support. These signals, accumulated over time and across millions of purchasing decisions, have the power to reshape entire supply chains.

Explore Further

WOMEN, CRAFT & community

Group of women artisans at the textile workshop with natural light

Ethical Fashion

What ethical really means in the context of fashion production.
Daughters of India artisan wearing handwoven traditional garment photographed through workshop window with handmade string art, showcasing authentic Indian textile craft

Supporting Artisan Communities

The broader impact of buying handmade ~ beyond the product itself.
Portrait of a woman artisan at Daughters of India, highlighting the skilled craftswomen behind every handmade garment

The True Cost of Handmade

Why fair wages are built into the price of every handmade garment.
Two women artisans with colourful fabrics outdoors at the Daughters of India production workshop

Building a Conscious Wardrobe

How your choices shape the industry ~ one garment at a time.
Explore All Craft Pages
Shipping & Returns

Our slow fashion garments are handcrafted by artisan communities in India, supporting women's empowerment and preserving ancient textile traditions.

We are a small team however we endeavour to process your order within 1-3 business days. You'll receive a tracking number by email once your order ships.

Delivery Australia International
Standard 3–7 days 5–10 days
Express 1–5 days 2–5 days


You can find our full shipping policy here.

We want you to love your Daughters of India piece. If it's not quite right, we're happy to help — simply return within 30 days and we'll issue a Daughters of India Gift Card for the full value. Your credit never expires and can be used on any piece, including new collections.

  • Items must be returned in original condition — unworn, unwashed with tags attached, folded neatly in the Daughters of India tote bag provided.
  • To arrange your return, contact us at hello@daughtersofindia.net. We recommend using a trackable shipping service.
  • Refunds are processed within 5–7 business days of receiving the return.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or store credit.

You can find our full returns policy here.

Shipping & Returns

Our slow fashion garments are handcrafted by artisan communities in India, supporting women's empowerment and preserving ancient textile traditions.

We are a small team however we endeavour to process your order within 1-3 business days. You'll receive a tracking number by email once your order ships.

Delivery Australia International
Standard 3–7 days 5–10 days
Express 1–5 days 2–5 days


You can find our full shipping policy here.

We want you to love your Daughters of India piece. If it's not quite right, we're happy to help — simply return within 30 days and we'll issue a Daughters of India Gift Card for the full value. Your credit never expires and can be used on any piece, including new collections.

  • Items must be returned in original condition — unworn, unwashed with tags attached, folded neatly in the Daughters of India tote bag provided.
  • To arrange your return, contact us at hello@daughtersofindia.net. We recommend using a trackable shipping service.
  • Refunds are processed within 5–7 business days of receiving the return.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or store credit.

You can find our full returns policy here.

Notify me when it's available

We will send you an alert once the product becomes available. Your details will not be shared with anyone else.

You're in!

We'll let you know when it's back.

Email*
Phone number

Something went wrong. Please try again.

Notify me when it's available

We will send you an alert once the product becomes available. Your details will not be shared with anyone else.

You're in!

We'll let you know when it's back.

Email*
Phone number

Something went wrong. Please try again.