Women in Bangladesh spend nearly four times more hours on unpaid domestic work than men, exposing a stark gender gap in household responsibilities, a new Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) study showed.
Sajeda Amin, senior research adviser at Sajeda Foundation, presented the findings at a seminar titled "Care Responsibility and Women's Work in Bangladesh" at BIDS’ Agargaon auditorium on Monday.
The study reveals that women aged 15–24 spend an average of 20 hours per week on unpaid domestic tasks, compared with just five hours for men of the same age. Women in joint families, Sajeda noted, have more opportunities for work outside the home.
Based on the 2016 Labor Force Survey, the research highlights that women’s household care duties—including childcare, household management, and caring for the sick or elderly—limit their participation in the labor market, affecting economic outcomes and reinforcing gendered divisions of labor.
Women often prefer home-based work because of caregiving responsibilities, explaining why the recent rise in female labor force participation is concentrated in home-friendly activities.
The study also finds a rural–urban divide: participation rises in rural areas with more informal, agriculture-based work but declines in urban areas. Researchers suggest policies should support the informal sector and gig economy, not just the formal sector.
BIDS Director General Dr AK Enamul Haque highlighted a challenge for garment workers: long walks to workplaces prevent women from using childcare centres, even when available in factories. Closer workplaces, he said, would increase daycare use.
Former BIDS research director Rushidan Islam Rahman called for more job creation for women, warning that fewer opportunities are mostly going to men. She urged expanding women’s roles in modern sectors like technology.
Women make up half of Bangladesh’s 166.6 million population, with 83.3 million recorded in the 2022 census. CEIC Data shows that in 2023, 4.7% of women were aged 0–14, while nearly 68.5% were 15–64.
