Abstract
The authors of this chapter provide the background for Bangladeshi women's plight to achieve gender equality in the labor force. To be educated and trained as their male counterparts, many factors must be taken into consideration. While poverty and vulnerability continue to be faced by many Bangladeshi citizens, the government has initiated policies and programs to address the need for more trained skilled workers, including females. In recent years, the population growth has reduced, and health and education has improved. In the past, women were employed in typical trades such as sewing, typing, and hazardous and exploitative jobs. Today, government policies and procedures, such as the National Education Policy, have implemented training programs to address gender inequality to employ more women in various trades, with some owning their own businesses, such as the three success stories presented in this study of women whose economic status has benefited greatly from training programs.
TopBackground
Bangladesh has experienced rapid urban population growth, increased urbanization, and industrialization. By 2025, its workforce is expected to reach 76 million, with an expected 2.2 million young people anticipated to enter the workforce every year. Currently, around 79% of the labour force is located in informal sectors, 95% of whom are identified as aged 18 to 24 and considered the most productive segment of the labour force in the country (Rashid, 2017). Informal rather than formal sectors employ most of the labour force. The current population of Bangladesh is 166,794,635, with slightly more males (50.6%) than females (49.4%) (Worldometers, 2018).
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, with its people primarily located within a delta of rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal (BBC News, 2018). Many of the population are landless, forced to live on cultivated, flood-prone land (Central Intelligence Agency, n. d.). A majority of the population aged 15 years and older can read and write.
Although Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction and human development outcomes, extreme poverty and vulnerability remain stubborn problems (World Bank, 2017a). Further, while poverty is deep and widespread, Bangladesh has in recent years reduced its population growth and improved its health and education status (BBC News, 2018).
Additionally, the World Bank (2017a) reports remarkable economic and development progress, noting that since 2010, annual GDP growth has averaged 6.4%, and GNI per capita increased from $100 in 1972 to $1,480 in 2017, crossing the World Bank’s threshold for lower middle-income country status in 2014. Bangladesh has become the world’s second largest (after China) ready-made garments exporter. It also continues to face challenges of limited public services, weak institutions, and poor infrastructure, posing constraints to investment growth. The external current account balance sharply deteriorated in 2017. While these improvements occur for the betterment of society, challenges remain, such as what males and females receive in wages, especially in regards relation to employability.
The low participation of females in the labour force can be attributed to societal factors such as girls usually encouraged to marry at an early age and families in both urban (formal sectors) and rural (informal sectors) areas encouraging more males than females to receive education and training in skills development. The majority of females are often forced into typical trades, such as sewing, typing, as well as into informal work agreements and hazardous, exploitative forms of employment, such as manufacturing (i.e. Ready-Made Garments), household and domestic work, or in the agricultural sector (International Labour Organization, 2009). The International Labour Organization followed states that ‘they [females] are rarely provided with any formalized training for these occupations, and learn through exploitative practices that do not value (i.e. monetarily) their participation in labour across sectors’ (p. 10).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Non-Government Organization: An organization, also referred to as an NGO, that works independently of governmental control. It is made up primarily of development sectors, especially in the areas of poverty alleviation, improvement of health and education, and in emergency response programs. NGOs may be local, regional, national, or international.
Gender Mainstreaming: A strategy based on public policy that values input from female and male regarding concerns and experiences on the implementation of programs and legislation.
Labor Force: Refers to a group of individuals who are working along with those who are able to work, but are not; basically, it accounts for individuals employed and unemployed.
Gender Responsive: The act of being aware of, providing for, and valuing the particular needs of women, such as with gender-responsive prisons.
Bangladesh: Country located on the northern coast of the Bay of Bengal. It borders India and Myanmar. Total population of 157,826,578 (as of July 2017). Primary language is Bangla (98.8%) also known as Bengali. A majority of the population is literate.
Employability: The ability of an individual to be employed and maintain based on skills, knowledge, and/or experience.
Underprivileged Children’s Education Program (UCEP-Bangladesh): Known as a non-profit and non-governmental organization with a purpose to uplift the socio-economic conditions of underprivileged communities through helping children to learn skills to earn. UCEP has been working since 1972 and more about its history is available in the history section of the website.
Gender Inequality: Term used for stating females and males are not equal.
International Labor Organization: An organization with a mission to advance opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive employment. The rights of women and men are provided in the areas of rights at work, decent employment opportunities, social protection, and help to deal with work-related issues.
Gender: Term used to determine an individual’s role and responsibilities as female and male. These roles are learned and vary among cultures across the world. Gender is not sexual or biological; rather, it is a social being.