Bangladeshi women and the economy

[Reyed Mia (Apprentice, DIU)]

Bangladeshi women and the economy

As of 2014, female participation in the labour force is 58% as per World Bank data,[65] and male participation at 82%.

A 2007 World Bank report stated that the areas in which women's work force participation have increased the most are in the fields of agriculture, education and health and social work.[39] Over three-quarters of women in the labour force work in the agricultural sector. On the other hand, the International Labour Organization reports that women's workforce participation has only increased in the professional and administrative areas between 2000 and 2005, demonstrating women's increased participation in sectors that require higher education. Employment and labour force participation data from the World Bank, the UN, and the ILO vary and often under report on women's work due to unpaid labour and informal sector jobs.[66] Though these fields are mostly paid, women experience very different work conditions than men, including wage differences and work benefits. Women?s wages are significantly lower than men?s wages for the same job with women being paid as much as 60-75 percent less than what men make.[67]

One example of action that is being taken to improve female conditions in the work force is Non-Governmental Organisations. These NGOs encourage women to rely on their own self-savings, rather than external funds provide women with increased decision-making and participation within the family and society.[68] However, some NGOs that address microeconomic issues among individual families fail to deal with broader macroeconomic issues that prevent women's complete autonomy and advancement.[68]

Overview[edit]

Bazaars in Bangladesh are popular trading places for everyday household necessities.
Bangladesh has made significant strides in its economic sector performance since independence in 1971. Although the economy has improved vastly in the 1990s, Bangladesh still suffers in the area of foreign trade in South Asian region. Despite major impediments to growth like the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises, a rapidly growing labour force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, inadequate power supplies,[69] and slow implementation of economic reforms, Bangladesh has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalising the capital markets; for example, it has negotiated with foreign firms for oil and gas exploration, better countrywide distribution of cooking gas, and the construction of natural gas pipelines and power stations. Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.

The especially severe floods of 1998 increased the flow of international aid. So far the global financial crisis has not had a major impact on the economy.[70] Foreign aid has seen a gradual decline over the last few decades but economists see this as a good sign for self-reliance.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Bangladesh