Progress in gender parity

Bangladeshi women are breaking barriers in achieving gender equality. Six women have been employed at a refueling station in Narayanganj which sets a unique example of engaging women in non-traditional workplace. The women have to work with the transport workers which resembles courageous act.

Lippi Akhter, one of the employee at the refueling station has mentioned, “My satisfaction is that I can support my family- two daughters and one son, with what I get from this job. I’m not at all worried about myself but I want my children to be educated.”

Women account the half of the population in Bangladesh. Today, the country’s total population is 1.65 million, including 49.40% women, according to the Bangladesh Election Commission.

But in the World Bank report 2015, the labor market in Bangladesh remains divided along gender lines.

Many women are underrepresented in the work force due to gender discriminations. International Labor Organization in Bangladesh says that 3.25% of employed women are working in the public sector and 8.25% in the private sector. Non-representation of the women in the paid workforce underestimate their contribution in the country’s economy.

To boost up women’s empowerment Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of Bangladesh in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched a project on Climate Resilient Community Development project with a greater focus on gender parity.

The project seeks to include at least 33% of women in the overall labor market, and 15% in construction-related areas with relevant actions like subsidised courses for women, inclusion of informal sectors and incentives to employers to employ females, functional literacy, and skill development training.

The project is expected to contribute to the construction of gender sensitive infrastructure that meets the needs of both women and men. In line with national development policies and IFAD’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy, the goal is to empower women and men to ensure equal access to project benefits.

Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, a public-sector apex development body has emphasized on women’s workforce, “If women’s household-level activities and their works in informal sectors are economically evaluated and added to the national income, Bangladesh may already be a middle-income country,”

Source: The Wire