Time to break the (eye)glass ceiling.

How we see the world depends on who’s showing it to us. And more often than not, it’s a male perspective.

With our ambitious mission of changing the way people perceive eyeglasses, at the largest scale possible, we have done an in-depth assessment of where the eyewear industry stands when it comes to looking through women’s perspectives.

As we come together to celebrate womanhood this International Women’s Day, we also need to be honest in our assessment of how far we have come in our quest for gender equity. Let’s have a look.

What does data suggest?

According to a study undertaken by Statista, 67.8% of adult women wear spectacles in the U.S, as compared to 60.8% of adult men. This denotes that on the consumer side, women are creating more demand for eyeglasses than men. There’s a similar scenario in the UK as well.

On the optical side, the website of vision web says that -

• 38% of the ODs (doctors of optometry) in the U.S are women.
• A significant pay gap still exists between male and female ODs, serving in the same role.

On the other hand, there are some outstanding examples as well of women who have taken the leadership role in the eyewear industry and they need a special mention here.

Becky Palm, who was named one of the ‘Most Influential Women in Optical’ for 2020 by Vision Monday Magazine, has scaled heights in the industry in quick time by climbing up the hierarchical ladder of Essilor Vision Foundation. Today, she is the President and Executive Director, and is doing incredible social work in the eyewear space.

Talking about new ventures, recently launched eyewear firm, Vontelle, has left us truly fascinated. It was founded in 2019 by African-American women — Tracey Vontelle Green and Nancy Harris. While the pandemic had gripped the world and many in the eyewear business — even the well-established ones- — were struggling, these two courageous enterprising women steered Vontelle to new heights.

Our own venture Specscart is expanding rapidly with the efforts and vision of our cofounder Halina Tseng and all the amazing women in our stores, office and warehouse.

We can proudly say that women occupy important positions in our team, right from pick-packers and store managers to optometrists.

In the coming months, we aim to include more women in the optical lab as well.

Through the looking glass

Although there are solid signs of significant progress being made when it comes to women’s representation in the eyewear industry, there is still a lot more that needs to be done.

On the designing side, women are doing great work. They are not only shaping frames and lenses but also ideas and perceptions. However, this is no mean feat, and we salute these women and also those who have created a facilitative environment for them to achieve this feat.

On taking a closer look into the manufacturing side of the eyewear industry, there’s still a lot to improve. In setups such as factories and labs, there needs to be more involvement of women. There’s no lack of skilled and qualified women in the optical field. While we do have women optometrists and pick packers at our stores in Manchester, we need to increase their representation in the lab.

Now, coming to the elephant in the room — women in leadership roles. To put it straight, this area needs a major revamp, as there are very few women occupying leadership roles. Even if we tick all the boxes required for ensuring gender parity in the eyewear industry, and miss out on this front, we will never be able to obtain the desired results.

Trendsetters

Women have influenced the eyewear industry not only from within but also from outside. There are certain styles of eyeglasses that owe a portion of their popularity to various female celebrities.

It would be really unfair if we do not start with the cat-eye glasses — the ladies’ favourite. These glasses — just like any other style — were mainly being worn as an eyesight correction instrument. But things changed in the 1950s when actresses like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn styled them in their movies. And the rest is history!

Doesn’t matter what the season or occasion is, cat-eye glasses are ALWAYS in style.

The modern appeal of vintage tortoiseshell glasses has been more than ever. Taking nothing away from this iconic style, credits must also go to Victoria’s Secret model Karlie Kloss and her love for tortoiseshell frames.

And how can we forget Jennifer Anniston and her cool experiments with glasses. Those in the eyewear industry surely must be keeping a close eye on the Friends star.

These influential women — and many more — have been trendsetters and the eyewear industry has capitalised on this from time to time.

Our role at Specscart.

At Specscart, we always strive to inculcate women’s perspectives into the way we function. We want to change how glasses are perceived — as an intimate fashion accessory rather than just an optical tool. If our glasses make women feel even a little bit more confident, we are on the right track.

Because the world isn’t a man’s alone, and if we don’t see the woman’s side it will be like going through life with one eye closed.