Work boots come in all shapes and sizes. They fulfill many of the demanding requirements in the challenging field of PPE. https://workwearmag.com could go on to list many developments and innovations of work boots but today I'm going to... concentrate on a specific field that seems to be historically overlooked. Women's work boots or Ladies safety boots.
Why have women's work boots been overlooked in the past?
Well for years the workwear market has been dominated by male buying trends, typically because skilled manual and unskilled manual jobs in fields that required garments to be PPE compliant were mainly worked by men. As times and indeed opinions changed, the working environment has also changed, more women are employed not only in skilled manual jobs on constructions sites for example, but also in higher authoritative roles within the those fields.
What does this mean to footwear/workwear suppliers and manufacturers? Well only the short sighted brands and suppliers have been slow to adopt the changes to the market place.
I am still surprised by how little choice there is available on some supplier websites. These sites seem to either be overlooking a secure revenue stream for spot buying on their website, or the fact that some bulk orders may be jeopardised when buyers have to look to multiple suppliers for their firms female work boots.
The big winners here will be those suppliers that have the right amount of choice of gender specific garments and work boots. Even as more women are working in the environments that need safety boots and protective footwear, they are still classed in the minority of the workforce. The challenge for suppliers is to work out what the correct level of exposure, which will determine the level of specific stock to hold, while also not adversely affecting cash flow. Only a short-sighted firm would choose not to supply female footwear.
It is of note that it is always worthwhile searching on Google, Bing or Yahoo for specific brands and then following the links to suppliers, as you will know they stock the right work boot for you.
A brand worth particular merit and distinction is; Cofra. This is an example of a brand that manufactures women's work boots and protective footwear. They saw the writing on the wall and adapted quickly to develop new ranges and innovations specifically for women working outdoors.
Cofra has taken the advances in technologies and materials derived from the men's range and employed those advances to great success in the women's range. Dickies, Mascot, Snickers and most of the major workwear suppliers have women's work boot ranges, some vary in distinction and some of the brands have just reduced the scale down of their men's ranges to sell as women's boots.
All women's work boots should be made from the appropriate materials to make sure that they measure up to the task they are designed to fulfil and indeed stand up to. So for example if you are working on a construction site you need steel toe caps and steel mid-sole.
The major distinction between women's ranges and men's ranges is of course the size. However some brands have taken to researching the demographics that use the boots and have discovered that there is a market in manufacturing safety work shoes and trainers rather than simply reducing the scale of their existing boots.
You the buyer/consumer should look for usability in your choices and if possible aim for footwear that has breathable, antibacterial lining that absorbs and releases moisture while also being resistant to abrasions. Every workwear Brand is either stocking or starting to roll out female work boots and protective footwear ranges, it needs a little investigating but overall it is down to personal choice what boots you like and what you don't.
At least now there is more development which results in greater choice rather than compromising safety and comfort by wearing small men's boots and lots of socks for padding.
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