Empowering Women with Work at Home: Opportunity for Remote Home-based Apparel Production Networks

The shuttering of society led companies, institutions, and education to move to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this has come favourable circumstances for women with childcare and eldercare responsibilities to be employed because of continued work at home opportunities. Since 2020 there has been an increase of women in the workforce with children under the age of five inclusive of married women, single women, women with a high school education and less, as well as newcomers and immigrants. While todays work at home jobs are mainly digital jobs in the professions of accounting, legal, finance, marketing, human resources, health, customer service, and cybersecurity, there is also opportunity in the field of apparel manufacturing. By enabling apparel workers to work remotely an often ignored and potential workforce presents itself in an industry that is increasingly challenged with finding sewing skill and expertise. This is mutually beneficial as the women have access to an economy that might otherwise not be available to them because of their caregiving responsibilities.