Workwear gap leaves women in agricultural jobs underserved and unsafe

Dairy farmer Nicole Tobes was frustrated with the lack of workwear options for women in agriculture.

Women's coveralls were either far pricier than what was available for men, or of an inferior quality and missing a lot of important features, like pockets, that made her workday easier.

After trying, and being disappointed by, too many options, Toebes would usually just go back to wearing men's coveralls, which were ill-fitting and uncomfortable to work in.

“Even if you have to pay more [for a woman's garment], I'm willing to do it to have something that makes my day easier, better, [to] get the job done,” Toebes said during a Nov. 20 online discussion hosted by the National Women in Agriculture and Agri-food Network.

“I couldn't find it. So I thought, ‘Well, how hard can it be?’ And here we are, five years later.”

Toebes, who's based in Prince Edward Island, is the founder and owner of AgPro Workwear, which designs and manufactures coveralls for women working in agriculture.

Features unique to her designs include a curved waistband, specific to a woman's shape; a crotch gusset; easy-to-adjust buckles; flexible, stretchy fabric; cut- and tear-resistant hip pockets, knees and cuffs; and, of course, lots of useful pockets.

Toebes said she spent countless hours doing research, including taking measurements from real women, and collaborating closely with the manufacturer to create a garment that would actually work for the wearer.