The Artisan Sector: An Industry Dominated by Women

The Artisan Sector: An Industry Dominated by Women

Though women only make up 49.6% of the world’s population, they make up 70% of the world’s poor and 60% of the world’s chronically hungry

As a company run by women, and well-acquainted with the issues women face globally, it is impossible to separate our efforts of providing fair and dignified work to artisans, with our efforts of providing fair and dignified work to women. By working within the artisan sector, these efforts are merely one in the same. 

The artisan sector is the second largest industry within the developing world, second only to agriculture. The overwhelming majority of these artisans are women, often working out of homes or small, community workshops.

Artisan at Mabira Collective

Artisans play a vital role in sustaining local economies and important cultural practices, generating nearly 32 billion dollars annually. 

By connecting artisans worldwide to large, wholesale purchasers, Ethik is dedicated to creating substantial work in an industry dominated by women. These efforts are driven by the research-backed knowledge that when women work, they invest 90% of their earnings back into their families. 

According to the UN, women’s economic empowerment is vital to creating gender equality. Such empowerment must include access to fair and just work, increased decision making powers, control over resources, and the ability to equally participate in existing markets. 

The evidence found by a third-party evaluator on the effects of Ethik orders are clear: when artisans receive consistent, dignified work and fair compensation, they thrive. What’s more is that because we know the artisan sector is composed largely of women, and that the best predictor of a nation’s stability is how women are treated, when women receive consistent, dignified work and fair compensation, their families, communities and countries thrive as well. 

Artisans and their children