An Investigation of Women’s Early Career Experiences in the Textile and Apparel Industries Nancy Hodges University of North Carolina at Greensboro Elena Karpova Iowa State University Holly Lentz West Virginia University The experiences of female graduates of textile and apparel programs in the early stages of their industry careers were examined using two methods: (1) a questionnaire completed by textile and apparel companies, and (2) interviews with women employed in industry jobs for < 5 years. The questionnaire results revealed that the number of female employees was highest in wage ⁄ staff and midlevel positions and the number of male employees was highest in salaried and high-level positions. Interview data showed that participants had a high level of job satisfaction and valued the knowledge gained by acquiring a degree in textiles and apparel. About half of the participants found their first full-time job through internships. Others said that informal network- ing led to their first job. Participants stressed the importance of understanding ‘‘politics’’ in the workplace. Those in smaller companies reported assuming greater responsibilities and having more freedom to make decisions. Keywords: career development; employment; higher education; textile and apparel industries Employment in the U.S. textile and apparel industries dropped sharply between 1997 and 2007, going from 1.38 million to 752,000. This represented an overall decline of approximately 45% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). For the last several decades, the United States has witnessed a reduction in its manufactur- ing base across a range of industries. For the textile and apparel industries, the reduction is often attributed to loosening trade regulations and greater global economic integration. As a result, much attention has been paid to investigating how trade blocs and other changes, such as the phase-out of the Multifiber Arrangement, have affected industry health and competitiveness (Cammett, 2006; Curran, 2007). Such research focuses primarily on dynamics in imports, exports, and production, as well as overall employment trends (Kilduff & Chi, 2006; Scott, 2006). It is often thought that trends in textile and apparel industry employment have affected only those who are directly involved in the manufacturing Authors’ Notes: Nancy Hodges, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Elena Karpova, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Manage- ment at Iowa State University. Holly Lentz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising at West Virginia University. Please address correspondence to Nancy Hodges, Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 210 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27402; e-mail: nancy_hodges@uncg.edu. This research was funded by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service (NC02193). Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Vol. 39, No. 1, September 2010 75–89 DOI: 10.1111/j.1552-3934.2010.02046.x Ó 2010 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences 75