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Evaluating Wage Disparities and Labor Policies in the Global  Textile Industry- A Path Towards Equitable Worker Welfare

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Jepy Dewan — Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh
Mazed Islam — Senior Lecturer, Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, Department of Fashion and Textiles, Winchester School of Arts, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
Published 6 Aug 2026 Vol. 7 No. 4 (2026), pp. 174-195 ● Open access
❝ How to cite 🔗 https://doi.org/10.48165/sajssh.2026.7409
Formats:PDF ● Open access
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Abstract

This study focuses on the challenges and problems of wage disparities and labor regulation in  the international textile industry using a mixed methods comprehensive study with all at it:  systematic literature review, quantitative analysis of data, and qualitative case studies. The  systematic literature review relies on scholarly journals and official reports by International  Labour Organization (ILO), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC)  and demonstrates that there is still a set of patterns of underpayment, especially among female  employees. The statistical assessment of secondary data of the World Bank, ILO, and the  country labor force surveys points to the great gap in the level of wages, wage elasticity, and  the effect of the policy of labor. The investigation adds value to the research via inclusion of  the labor rights reports, sustainability disclosure, NGO facilitated worker interviews. Evidence  shows that the lack of enforcement of labor laws and laxity penalties are some of the causes of  high non-compliance to labor laws especially in Bangladesh. In the meantime, CSR programs  have demonstrated mixed results, with some companies bringing a positive contribution to the  society by implementing community programs, and others do not help resolve systematic issues  related to wages. In this research work, data triangulation is applied to boost reliability and  reduce the occurrence of bias. The study finds out that although there are global policies aimed  at the enhancement of labor standards especially in the aspects of policy frameworks, CSR,  there is a huge disparity between policy promises and reality of real terms of worker welfare.  It talks about implementation of more effective enforcing measures, introduction of living  wages, as well as structural changes in global value chains supportive of a fair treatment of  textile workers.

KeywordsTextile industrywage inequalitylabor regulationsliving wagecorporate social responsibility (csr)global value chains (gvcs)

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