Despite significant rise in female labour force participation, the number of salaried women in Bangladesh declined by nearly 21 percentage points over the past five years, posing a great threat to gender equality and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the Bangladesh Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2022, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), in fiscal year 2017, 67.2 per cent of employed women aged 15 years or above were engaged in paid employment. However, this figure has decreased by 20.82 per cent, reaching 46.38 per cent in 2022. This decline indicates a loss of 9,30,000 paid working women between fiscal year 2017 and calendar year 2022.
This trend is alarming for the country, particularly as the government strives to enhance women's participation in paid employment in order to bridge the gender gap, empower women financially and politically, and achieve the SDGs.
In contrast, the survey reveals an increase in female worker participation, including own-use production of goods or unpaid work, from 32.8 per cent to 53.62 per cent of total employed women workers during the same period.
On a positive note, female participation in the labour force has increased to 42.68 per cent in 2022, up from 36.3 per cent five years ago. However, the decline in women's participation in salaried jobs raises concerns among experts, as it can hinder the attainment of the SDGs, exacerbate the gender gap, and impede financial empowerment.
In 2015, the UN set 17 SDGs, with gender equality as the fifth goal, emphasising the need to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The decline in the number of salaried women in Bangladesh is at odds with this objective and requires immediate attention and targeted interventions to ensure progress towards gender equality and sustainable development.
Zahid Hussain, the former lead economist of the World Bank Dhaka Office, expressed his disappointment that despite continuous government initiatives for women's development, the number of paid working women has declined. This raises the question of whether women's development and progress are actually regressing instead of advancing, he said.
In response to this concern, economist Sayema Haque Bidisha, research director at the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM), pointed out that decrease of paid working women in urban areas between FY17 and CY22 as one of major reason for the decline in the statistics.
On the other hand, women working in rural areas tend to be involved in family enterprises, where many of them work without receiving a salary, even though they contribute to productive activities, she said. This phenomenon explains the increase in the number of non-salaried working women, she added.
According to the Labour Force Survey, the number of paid working women aged 15 years or older was 1.25 crore in FY17, but it declined to 1.16 crore in CY22. Additionally, the number of unpaid women engaged in own-use production of goods was 61 lakh in FY17, but it increased to 1.34 crore in CY22. The total number of working women aged 15 years and above was 2.49 crore in 2022.
The data raises concerns about the decline in salaried women in Bangladesh and indicates the need for further examination of women's development and progress. It is crucial to understand the reasons behind these changes and to address the underlying issues to promote the economic empowerment of women.
Sayema, also a professor of economics at Dhaka University, emphasises that the data from the BBS indicates that women are not experiencing significant economic empowerment. She suggests that a closer examination of the positions held by women engaged in paid work is necessary because the number of salaried working women in Bangladesh is negligible.
The Labour Force Survey reveals that the overall number of working women in the workforce increased from 1.85 crore to 2.52 crore between FY17 and CY22. However, the number of employed women in urban areas has declined from 44 lakh to 38.7 lakh, while the number of working women in rural areas has increased from 1.41 crore to 2.13 crore.
Zahid Hussain supports this observation, stating that industrial employment, particularly in the garment sector, has decreased significantly, resulting in a loss of female employment opportunities.
Echoing him, Sayema Haque points out that automation in the garment industry has led to layoffs of female workers, and the Covid-19 pandemic has also resulted in factory closures, further exacerbating job losses for women.
A study conducted by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) reveals a consistent decline in the proportion of women employed in the garment sector, dropping from 54.22 per cent in 2015 to 53.89 per cent in 2018 and 53.65 per cent in 2021. This decline is significant when compared to the 1980s when women comprised 80 per cent of the sector's workforce.
Sayema emphasises that to gain a clearer understanding of the changes in women's participation in the country’s workforce, it is crucial to examine the reasons behind these shifts. While the government of Bangladesh has made efforts to promote women's development, macro-level issues need to be addressed to increase women's participation in paid jobs. Factors such as domestic violence, lack of safety and security, and child marriage hinder women's financial strength and empowerment, she said.
A recent report by USAID acknowledges the remarkable progress Bangladesh has made in improving the lives of women and girls over the past two decades. Maternal mortality rates have significantly decreased, fertility rates are declining, and there is greater gender parity in school enrolment. Bangladesh has also implemented regulations to protect women's rights, and increased educational opportunities for women have led to expanded participation in the labour force. However, workforce participation remains limited to low-paying sectors.
The economists suggest that Bangladesh should focus on improving opportunities in higher-paying sectors to further advance women's economic empowerment.
Ways forward
People working in the sector said any unpaid work that contributes to the economy should be recognised as productive work and such recognition will increase the contribution of women.
On the other hand, improving women's skills, providing family support, and creating safe workplaces are essential steps to increase the participation of in the formal sector.
Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) Shaheen Anam told The Business Post that the work that women do at home is not recognised as productive work. “If it is done, women's participation in the economy will increase greatly. There are instructions from the prime minister in this regard, but any effective initiative is yet to be seen,” she said.
To increase women in the formal sector, she suggested reducing family responsibilities and the time women have to spend in the family. In this case, other members of family can share responsibility, she said.
Besides, initiatives should be taken to improve women’s skills alongside ensuring safe workplaces, she added.
