More women in the workforce

According to the recently released World Bank’s (WB) Bangladesh Development Update 2017, millions of women here are joining the labour force and increasing women’s participation is leading to substantial progress in job outcomes, economic growth and a favourable demographic transition.

An earlier survey stated that labour force participation for women is 36 percent, compared to 82.5 percent for men. Still, the rate is higher than the South Asian average of 35 percent. Bangladesh is ahead of India, where women account for 27 percent of the total labour force, and Pakistan, whose female labour participation rate is 25 percent. Nepal has the highest female labour participation rate of 80 percent, according to the World Bank. This growing women empowerment is also evident in the fact that Bangladesh has the third highest number of female lawmakers among the Saarc countries. All these are very positive developments.

It must be admitted that women in urban areas have more access to employment. A vast array of employment opportunities results in higher female labour force participation rates, increased accessibility to education and an active decision to marry and conceive children later. In fact, education levels are fast improving across the country and the future of Bangladesh’s next generation of empowered women shines bright.

What’s more, Bangladesh has easily reached the Millennium Development Goal of primary and secondary school gender equality. Way back in 2011, there were 110 girls enrolled in primary and secondary schools for every 100 boys. As long as this positive trend in education advances and the government continues to focus on the improvement of conditions for women in the working place, women from all socioeconomic backgrounds will be granted more and more access to information about their rights. Eventually, the respect they deserve in the workplace will no longer be a privilege, but a guaranteed right.

However, it is also true that Bangladesh will need to break the barriers that prevent women from participating in the labour market or entering the organised business sectors as entrepreneurs. The barriers are both formal such as inheritance laws, and informal such as unwritten social norms restricting female participation in activities traditionally considered to be the exclusive domain of men. Also entering the world of labour presents many risks to women in a country still plagued by gender-based violence and harassment in all sectors of society including the workplace. Fundamentally, the mindset of both men and women will need to become much more gender-blind. Here the role of education and social policies can be most critical.

 

More women in the workforce

According to the recently released World Banks (WB) Bangladesh Development Update 2017, millions of women here are joining the labour force and increasing womens participation is leading to substantial progress in job outcomes, economic growth and a favourable demographic transition. An earlier survey stated that labour force participation for women is 36 percent, compared to 82.5 percent for men. Still, the rate is higher than the South Asian average of 35 percent. Bangladesh is ahead of India, where women account for 27 percent of the total labour force, and Pakistan, whose female labour participation rate is 25 percent. Nepal has the highest female labour participation rate of 80 percent, according to the World Bank. This growing women empowerment is also evident in the fact that Bangladesh has the third highest number of female lawmakers among the Saarc countries. All these are very positive developments. It must be admitted that women in urban areas have more access to employment. A vast array of employment opportunities results in higher female labour force participation rates, increased accessibility to education and an active decision to marry and conceive children later. In fact, education levels are fast improving across the country and the future of Bangladeshs next generation of empowered women shines bright. Whats more, Bangladesh has easily reached the Millennium Development Goal of primary and secondary school gender equality. Way back in 2011, there were 110 girls enrolled in primary and secondary schools for every 100 boys. As long as this positive trend in education advances and the government continues to focus on the improvement of conditions for women in the working place, women from all socioeconomic backgrounds will be granted more and more access to information about their rights. Eventually, the respect they deserve in the workplace will no longer be a privilege, but a guaranteed right. However, it is also true that Bangladesh will need to break the barriers that prevent women from participating in the labour market or entering the organised business sectors as entrepreneurs. The barriers are both formal such as inheritance laws, and informal such as unwritten social norms restricting female participation in activities traditionally considered to be the exclusive domain of men. Also entering the world of labour presents many risks to women in a country still plagued by gender-based violence and harassment in all sectors of society including the workplace. Fundamentally, the mindset of both men and women will need to become much more gender-blind. Here the role of education and social policies can be most critical.