Ensure more careers for women to achieve desired prosperity: Experts
Though women’s contributions to the economy has increased significantly over the years with various becoming entrepreneurs these days because of a women-friendly policy, professionals have underscored the necessity for ensuring even more jobs for women to achieve the country’s desired goals.
They said women should be given more financial facilities so that more women can emerge as business owners as they are very wanting to play a significant role in the country’s monetary development.
The authorities said Bangladesh will never be able to achieve its development goals if the unemployment rate among men and women isn't cut quickly.
Regarding to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), around 46 percent of graduates stay unemployed in the united states.
The country’s unemployment rate risen to 4.37 percent in December 2017 from 4.35 percent in 2016. The quantity of unemployed people in Bangladesh risen to 2.70 million in 2016 from 2.60 million in 2015, the BBS data showed.
Dr Mohammad Mahfuz Kabir, analysis director at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Analyses (BIISS), told UNB that women take into account one-third of the country’s total employment. “Therefore, the prevailing women empowerment isn't enough in this overpopulated nation to attain the double-digit monetary growth.”
“More women career is required to achieve the double-digit monetary growth. Only women education isn't enough, they’ll have to be employed in various ways. If not, our production goals won’t be performed,” he said.
Dr Mahfuz said small and medium business owners are actually getting highest Tk 25 lakh each as bank loan for conducting business but many women are reluctant to be business owners availing of this opportunity.
He underlined the importance of guaranteeing more financial services for women than their male counterparts. “Specialized packages can be taken for them,” he explained.
Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said the participation of women ought to be increased in the labour industry to attain the Sustainable Expansion Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“Bangladesh’s women are building progress in education. However they can’t become a member of the labour industry properly for various reasons, including social, family, interaction and accommodation kinds,” she added.
Fahmida said women must be qualified so that they can employ technology to sustain found in the labour industry, emphasising that the federal government should impart training on them.
Hasina Newaaz, vice-president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Sector (FBCCI), said although the government has taken some women-friendly initiatives, they are not implemented properly.
“The participation of ladies in all spheres of society is very important to achieving the country’s creation goals. But women can’t play their credited role due to sociable barriers and disparities. So, those ought to be addressed immediately,” she said.
SME entrepreneurs said they are facing a big problem to diversify products for want of skilled women personnel in addition to complexities while taking loans from banks.
Sharmeen Jahan Khan, owner of Naya Craft, said she been performing handicraft business for several years. But she needs qualified manpower to diversify her items.
“Nowadays, there’s a competitive industry both at home and abroad. Buyers demand new styles and services. But, we’ve to handle a big concern to diversify our goods for lack of qualified labourers,” she added.
Sharmeen said there are various women in the country but they are not skilled. The government should train them up to improve their skills.
Mentioning that capital is very important to running a organization, she lamented that they need to face complexities while taking loans right from banks.
Another women entrepreneur and trainer Hasina Mukta told UNB that she started her business with Tk 50,000 a decade ago which is currently a Tk 50 lakh venture.
“I’ve been ready to become a business owner. First, my purpose was to make money for my family group. But now I’m teaching women at different training centres alongside my organization to create more girls entrepreneurs in the united states. I’ve educated up around 2,000 women entrepreneurs in the last several years,” Hasina said.
Who owns Natunatta Boutiques added that she's been getting involved in the National SME Products Good going back seven years. “We want to preserve significant contributions to achieving the SDGs and Perspective 2041 when Bangladesh will become a developed nation.”
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun in a program recently said the government took many initiatives, including a women-friendly policy, to improve the contributions of females to the country’s market.
“Some 66 percent of the individuals of the 8th National SME Products Fair 2020 are women where they’re promoting their products manufactured in Bangladesh both at native and international market segments,” he said.
The minister said two-thirds of the 296 SME entrepreneurs taking part in the fair are women fashion designers. “We organized a seminar titled ‘Participation of women SME entrepreneurs in export trade: Potential and Challenge’ at the fair aswell.”
