Until recently, women working in construction, rail and engineering had to fit their feet into unisex boots or a smaller size mens boot and there was little choice to be had. This made them uncomfortable and ill-fitting, which is counter-intuitive as it leaves many women susceptible to problems being caused by their work safety footwear. Better fitting footwear is vital for the safety of women at work.
When you compare men’s feet to women’s you will find that women’s feet are naturally narrower and that women’s heels are much narrower in relation to the width of the ball of the foot. The Achilles tendon is also smaller and higher, women also require additional arch support. Women even walk differently, taking shorter more frequent strides than men, relative to height.
However, just as safety boots for men are quickly evolving in design and materials, so are women’s heading in a similar direction. An increased female presence in the workforce has seen both workwear retailers and manufacturers such as V12 footwear offer an increasing array of women’s safety boots and trainers.
Ben Turner, Co-Founder and Director of V12 Footwear said:
“Usually, unisex footwear is made and scaled to men’s feet, but a woman’s foot shape is different and design needs to accomodate this. The one structure of a typical woman’s foot not only tends to be shorter but also narrower, meaning that a smaller size men’s boot is just not going to fit well”.
Taking all of this into consideration, V12 have worked to design and create footwear shaped perfectly for the female foot shape, providing a comfortable solution that leaves the wearer free to focus fully on the job at hand. Not only is the overall shape designed to better fit but include other features such as being chiseled to accommodate the safety toecap and the shape of the heel is narrower.
These are small but significant details and they make all the difference, not only when it comes to comfort but also to safety. The products are especially designed for women and to fit women well and the difference has had a profound effect on the fit of women's safety footwear.
You can find out more by reading the full post on the V12 Blog here.
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