More women joining labour force: ILO
Female participation in Bangladesh's labour force has increased to 36.3 percent in 2017 from 33.2 percent in 2016 thanks to the flourishing garment industry, according to a report of the International Labour Organisation.
The participation of male workers in the labour force also increased slightly to 80.7 percent in 2017 from 79.4 percent in 2016.
So overall, labour force participation in Bangladesh in 2017 increased to 58.3 percent from 56.1 percent, the ILO report released said.
Female workforce participation steadily grew between 2010 and 2017 because of the higher growth of the garment sector, said the report titled 'Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2018'.
Although the participation of women workers in the labour force was low in South Asian nations, the ratios of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have held steady or increased over time.
Beyond national differences, trends vary across rural and urban areas and among women with high educational attainment and poorly educated women.
All the Southern Asian countries show low female labour force participation ratios (LFPRs) with the exception of Nepal, which stands out with a high rate of 79.3 percent in 2008, the last year of its latest Labour Force Survey.
In contrast, India's female LFPR was 26.2 percent in 2011–12, down from 32.6 percent in 2004–05, despite the country's strong economic growth.
Many potential causes have been identified for the limitations of women's access to the labour market in South Asian countries.
The main drivers of the decline are increased enrolment of young women in secondary schools, rising household incomes, lack of suitable employment opportunities for women in the non-farm sector and measurement issues, according to the report.
A fifth driver can be added, which is the absence of child care options.
“Such factors are frequently noted as those that are somehow quantifiable, unlike areas of social norms, which are difficult to put into words, let alone measure.”
“That said, what is clear is that attitudes matter and that social norms are an important factor -- if not the most important factor -- behind the low female LFPRs in Southern Asia.” The acceptability of women working outside the home to women in the Southern Asian countries comes out well below other countries in the region and the world at large.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, 41 percent and 52 percent of the women respectively stated they considered it unacceptable for women to have paid work outside the home, even if they desired it.
Many surveyed women did not find it acceptable for women to work outside the home. “Pushing for more female labour force participation will remain an uphill battle in the region as long as women are not pushing for it,” the report added.
