Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is right to say that women have proven they can achieve anything, and that the country will move towards prosperity if men and women can work together
Despite the numerous hurdles that women face on an everyday basis in our country, it cannot be disputed that we have made tremendous progress when it comes to gender equality as far as the economy is concerned.
The RMG industry, perhaps the main engine of Bangladesh’s fast-rising economy, is built almost exclusively on the backs of our hard-working women.
And with more women slowly finding footing in governance, we are witnessing the gradual decline of the stereotypes which have confined women to the home up until a few years ago.
Indeed, true progress can never be achieved by suppressing half of our country’s population.
However, while we are indeed witnessing an ever-increasing number of women in the workplace, there are still a number of problem areas that we need to focus on.
For example, the quality of the jobs in which women are employed are still noticeably low-quality and low-paying. What is worse, these jobs often leave employees in vulnerable situations regarding their safety, with little to no effort being made to mitigate their high rates of workplace accidents.
As of last year, 12.8 million women worked in vulnerable jobs, and that is not good news.
Women need true economic empowerment, which means well-paid positions in quality jobs, where their rights, such as maternity leave and other benefits, are assured.
That is the path to true equality.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
