The impacts of hazardous chemicals are not evenly spread across society; women face specific and often increased risks due to a mix of biological vulnerability, gendered labour roles, and social expectations that influence exposure patterns. From global textile and garment supply chains to agriculture, informal recycling, household environments, and consumer product use, women are exposed to chemicals through various pathways that overlap and reinforce each other. Biological factors—such as hormonal cycles, pregnancy, lactation, and higher average body fat—can heighten the absorption, storage, and long-term effects of substances like endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides. These exposures are strongly associated with reproductive issues, hormone disruption, metabolic diseases, cancers, immune system impairments, and risks to fetal and child development.
At the same time, women disproportionately work in chemically intensive sectors such as textile manufacturing, agriculture, service industries, and informal waste management—often in settings where protective equipment, training, and regulatory oversight are lacking or insufficient. Gender norms also influence consumer behaviour, leading to increased contact with chemicals in cosmetics, personal care products, household textiles, and children’s goods. For low-income, migrant, Indigenous, and rural women, these vulnerabilities are even greater due to limited access to information, healthcare services, and safe alternatives.
Addressing chemical safety through a gender perspective is therefore vital for effective public health protection, decent work, environmental justice, and progress toward global sustainability goals. This factsheet presents the scientific evidence on women’s chemical exposures, highlights occupational and environmental hotspots, and identifies key gaps in policy and governance. It aims to assist decision-makers, civil society, and industry stakeholders in integrating gender-responsive approaches into chemical management frameworks, ensuring that women’s health and rights remain central to safer and more sustainable supply chains.
