According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the participation of the country’s women in the workforce increased to 42.68 per cent up from 36.3 per cent five years ago.
The women are mostly employed in the garment manufacturing units. With state welfare programmes aimed at bringing women into workplaces, Bangladesh’s economic growth is intricately linked with the role of women in the workforce.
This is because more than half of Bangladesh’s rural women are part of the country’s workforce and are the driving force for prosperity in contrast to the previously famine-prone population. Rural participation of women in work is 50.89 per cent and 22.59 per cent in urban areas, according to official figures.
Prime Minister Hasina’s administration in 2011 launched a progressive Women Development Policy. A total of 30 per cent of seats are earmarked for women in local government bodies, while special provisions for enhancing women’s representation in the public service.
PM Sheikh Hasina has pledged to increase women’s participation in the workforce to 50-50 by 2041.