Although participation of women in the banking sector has been on the rise, a bias that women “cannot handle the pressure” of top positions still prevails in the industry, according to current and former employees.
As of June 2021, for example, 16.28% of the entry-level staff at banks were women but the percentage of mid and high-level staff was 15.59% and 8.93%, respectively.
Moreover, the pandemic also took a toll on the female employment rate in Bangladesh's banking sector.
Bangladesh Bank's data shows that the percentage of female employees stood at 15.8% in the sector as of June last year, which was 18.7% just a year ago.
Agrani Bank’s Sylhet circle General Manager Rubana Pervin said: "When I got into banking, lots of girls also joined in that same batch. But I alone was able to reach this GM position. Agrani Bank has 21 GMs in Bangladesh, out of which, only one is a woman.”
She said that one of the reasons for this is that the girls have to resign from their jobs in two stages before reaching the entry to mid-level or mid to top-level — once for marriage and again when having a child.
“Another reason is that many banks still hold onto bias while handing responsibilities to women from mid to top levels,” she added.
But Pervin still appreciates the rise in participation.
"When I joined the bank in the ‘90s, this ratio was only 4-5%. But nowadays, many girls are working in the banking sector. However, not everyone can survive. That is why women are not seen in the top positions in that ratio,” she further said.
Bangladesh Bank data also shows that the ratio of female employees stood at 15.8% in state-owned banks as of June 2021, down from 18% a year ago. The ratio in specialized banks went down to 13.7% from 15.5%, while that of private banks fell to 15.7% from 18.9%.
Foreign banks also saw a big drop out of women as the ratio fell to 24.7% from 33%.
In many cases, a conservative mindset and sexual harassment are the underlying causes.
Acting Head of Priority Banking of Eastern Bank Tanzeri Hoque says single working women are still subjected to harassment in many organizations.
“Women still need to struggle to deal with men with typical mindsets. At times, they won’t even talk to you because of your gender and sometimes it is just so difficult for them to accept the fact that there is a young female manager at the bank,” she added.
“However, things are changing and people have started to understand the value of a female banker. Working in retail banking for a long time, I have seen how clients are more comfortable working with women,” Hoque further said.
“As for the top positions, yes, we have limited representation, but it is growing every day. So, I think it is only a matter of time,” she said.
Senior Officer of AB Bank Sadia Afrin Tiba said that although sexual harassment has decreased, mental harassment has remained in many offices.
“Especially for newcomers, or for newly transferred women workers,” she said.
According to central bank data, the rate of women bankers above 50 years of age is 8.93% and while that of women employees under 30 years of age is 22.11%.
However, former senior principal officer of Agrani Bank’s Bank Town Branch of Savar Shamima Akter, who retired voluntarily from the post during Covid-19 last year, thinks that many women are also stepping back because they do not want to get to the top level due to additional responsibilities.
"A woman can work after finishing her responsibility to family and children. After my father's death, I had to join this job to take care of my family. Even after getting married and having children, I was able to continue this job. But it is not possible for all women to take their children and family forward with equal priority with their careers.
“So many women do not want to take the responsibility of the top positions thinking that they will not be able to give proper time to their family and children,” she said.
However, the recruitment of women workers in the banking sector has started to increase since the beginning of 2021.
In the first six months of 2021, the total number of employees in the banking sector has reached 3,578, of which, 32% are women and the remaining 68% are men. So, the number of women workers has increased by 1,135 from January to June 2021.
On the other hand, the number of male workers increased by 2,443 during the same period.
