Women of Bangladesh

Ensuring Womens Participation in Emerging Economic Sectors

March 2011

PART I

STATISTICAL PROFILE

Overview of Womens Employment

Source: 2005-06 Bangladesh Labor Force Survey, supplemented by 2009 mini survey Over the years, womens employment has increased substantially, both in rural and urban areas, from 8.4% in 1983 to 24.5% in 2009.

Traditional Sectors
Agriculture remains the dominant employment sector for women (53%), followed by manufacturing (17%), selfemployment (16.8%), and community/personal services (10%) Only 3.25% of all working women are employed by the government vs. 8.25% of working men.

Traditional Sector Statistics

Insert Table 1 Traditional Sectors Only

Non-Traditional Sectors
Participation of women in non-traditional but growing sectors is low: Only 0.22% of employed women are working in real estate and business services; 0.71% in the hotel/restaurant sector; 2.69% in construction, and 1.3% in banking.

Non-Traditional Sector Statistics

Insert table 2 non-traditional sectors only

Employment Disparity
The current ratio disparity between malefemale employment is 3:1. These disparities exist both in the public and private sectors.

Employment Disparity Statistics

Insert sample statistics on employment in a few ministries Insert sample statistics on garments industry

Unemployment
Each year, 20 lakh (2 million) new job seekers enter the labor market The unemployment rate (those actively seeking employment) is significantly higher for women: 7.5% of women are unemployed 4.3% of men are unemployed The under-employment rate (those working less than 40 hours per week or seasonally) is also higher for women

Part II

EDUCATION , INCOME & OPPORTUNITY

Link Between Education, Income & Opportunity

The fact that higher education achievement is lower for women than for men is reflected in the economy in terms of lower income and opportunities for women

Literacy
In general, the literacy rate is low in Bangladesh, but it is lower for females Average: TBD Male: 58.97% Female: 50.5%

Education
At the primary and secondary levels, the difference between number of male and female students now is minimal However, after ACC (secondary school certificate), the gap begins to widen implying the drop-out rate for female students is higher than male students

Education Statistics
Insert Table

Skilled vs. Unskilled Labor

Only 3.25% of employed women are working in government and 8.25% in the private sector. The remaining 89.5% are employed in the informal sector with unpredictable earning patterns

Income
Womens income is consistently lower than mens. On average, womens income is only 50% of mens income

The male/female income gap is wide in most sectors. In manufacturing, for example, women earn 4857 Taka/ month, whereas men earn on average 6922 Taka/month.

Income Disparity Statistics

Table

Managerial Employment
Womens participation in decision-making positions is also very low compared to men Statistics to come

On the Job Training

Worker training is low across all sectors, most worker training is done on the job, and management training is virtually nonexistent Computer Sector: Only 0.13% of male workers and 0.05% of women workers receive employer-sponsored training Garment Sector: Only 0.58% of male workers and 0.36% of female workers receive employer-sponsored training

UNDP Gender Empowerment Index

Gender development is as yet an unfinished agenda
In terms of gender empowerment, Bangladesh could improve its position vis-vis other comparable countries

UNDP Gender Empowerment Statistics

Insert statistics

Conclusions
Creation of more and better jobs in non-agricultural sectors is important to sustain momentum in poverty reduction Growth dividends from educating an increasingly higher proportion of women need to be exploited in full by creating enabling conditions for higher female work force participation backed by adequate remuneration, improved work status, and greater voice in society in general.

Part III

GROWTH SECTORS

Emerging Economic Sectors in Bangladesh

In 2004, Goldman Sachs listed Bangladesh as one of the new 11 emerging economies and a leader among LDC countries in production of service The key strength of the Bangladesh economy has been its young and dynamic demographics and its competitiveness Two key drivers of planned growth in the Bangladesh draft Sixth 5-year plan are: Labor-intensive exports based on low wage competitiveness Growth in service sectors providing regular employment based on human capital

Suggested Growth Industries

Health Care -- Nursing Call Centers -- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)/Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Tourism Jute Production & Export Agro-based products spices, processed fruits Media all types, especially suited to young, college-educated females

Why Change Strategies

Demand in domestic markets for skilled workforce is on the rise Bangladesh labor force is growing faster than employment potential Skills and training programs are outdated and not based on future market demands Exporting skilled labor, rather than unskilled labor, would increase remittances Skills development will increase productivity, efficiency, competitiveness and innovation, in addition to increasing economic self-sufficiency and reducing poverty

Skills Training Gaps

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is recognized by the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) as a way to reduce poverty while supporting economic growth TVET teachers lack training and practical skills and have little industry experience TVET institutions are poorly equipped, lacking adequate classrooms and training materials There is also a lack of labor market dedication to skills development, and a credibility gap between education certification and actual skill levels. Educational curricula are outdated and do not adequately address market needs

Focus of Skills Training

Certificate courses of (6 months) or diploma courses (1 year) could be offered in:

civil & electrical engineering computer software & hardware telecom & IT Call center operations Hotel & hospitality management Apparel merchandizing Business communication/English Proficiency Small and large appliance maintenance Nursing (varying levels) Child care

Part IV

PROPOSED STRATEGIES

Budget
Most government allocations are for social safety net programs. For example, allowances for widows, new mothers, destitute women. Allocations are also needed for training of educated women from poor families. For example in growth sectors of IT, nursing, business management Budget Session expanding gender-budgeting in line ministries and create a coordinating body among ministries

Public Private Partnerships

Government and Business can cooperate in many sectors to create employment opportunities and skills training for women Example: Through nurse training institutes, government infrastructure can be used and training provided by the private sector. This example can be used for many sectors (IT, manufacturing, services) Recruiting agency skills training institutes could partner with government to deliver quality skills development to meet market needs

Promoting Entrepreneurship
Encourage entrepreneurial opportunities for women to generate small business income and provide services through fiscal policy (handicrafts, day care services, local vegetable stalls, etc.) Though gender policies exist at most stateowned banks, access to banking services for women should be encouraged to facilitate and ease the processing of womens transactional services. (Pakistan has its own womens bank)

Bi-lateral Cooperation
Government can engage partner countries to export human resources, such as nurses. This has been an effective policy in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Exports of womens cottage industries could be promoted through government-sponsored cooperatives Donor nations could be encouraged to support skills development and identifying market demand in their countries

Coordination
Activate the existing National Skills Development Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, to provide a broad advocacy forum including policymakers, development partners, and other stakeholders Conduct national skills gap analysis, create a database of skills development offerings, and identify quality sector based training programs NSDC could develop a public and private skills development policy to address targeted growth industries, provide guidance on effective and efficient allocation of resources, and develop uniform testing and certification processes

Womens Development Policy

As a complement to promoting revisions to the Womens Development Policy, encourage the appropriate Ministries and Parliamentary committees to champion increased economic opportunity for women

Thank you!