Supporting women entrepreneurship
Closing the
gender gap is
perhaps the best prescription for economic growth. When women
thrive, all of
society thrives
In a welcome move the government has said that it would provide training to 30,000 women entrepreneurs by 2018 on IT for ensuring the optimum use of ICT in business plan, promotion and management. All over the world, women still face obstacles when trying to establish new businesses or to expand existing ones beyond a certain revenue mark. And Bangladesh is not an exception in this regard. Among the biggest hurdles are training, technology, markets, mentors and networks, access to credit and financing, as well as discriminatory laws, regulations, or entrenched cultural practices. That is why initiatives like the one mentioned above can make a difference. There should be all out efforts to promote economic opportunities for women in Bangladesh, by connecting businesses, universities, foundations, and individual donors with organizations and initiatives in this country devoted to womens economic advancement.
Even in this day and age many women in this country find it hard to bypass the social restrictions imposed on them domestically. There are families who believe that it is absolutely unethical for women to cross their threshold into the markets, talk to any man outside of home and family, not cover them in shroud like veils or depend on men for their livelihood.
However the situation is improving steadily and surely. Keeping in mind some of the recent actions of the government to further the cause of woman entrepreneurship the day is not far when an economic revolution will reform the approach of the society towards women independence and empowerment. Most recently a change in the attitudes of society towards women empowerment and economic independence has been observed because of the determination and courage of several women who have not just bypassed the barriers set to restraint their growth.
It can be safely said that it is only a matter of time for women to break the trend of economic dependence and inactive passivity extending over centuries to come forth in the true light of their full potential and tell the world what they are capable of doing and achieving.
No country can prosper if half of its population is left behind. Closing the gender gap is perhaps the best prescription for economic growth. When women thrive, all of society thrives - men and women, boys and girls.
