Despite rising levels of education, most Bangladeshi women remain outside formal employment due to the burden of household responsibilities, according to a new study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and Sajeda Foundation. The findings, released Monday at a seminar in Dhaka, show that 81 percent of women cited housework as the biggest obstacle to joining the workforce, while 48 percent of men identified lack of education as the main barrier. The analysis, based on the 2016 Labour Force Survey, found that women aged 15–24 spend up to 20 hours a week on housework — four times more than men — and even women over 65 spend twice as much time on domestic work as men of the same age.
The study found that while female labour force participation has increased, most women are engaged in home-based and informal work such as childcare and household management, not in formal office, factory, or agricultural jobs. Currently, 66 percent of women remain outside the labour force, compared to just 20 percent of men. Rural women’s participation in agricultural work outside the home fell sharply, from 64 percent in 2010 to 21 percent in 2016, while urban women’s outside-home employment has also declined. The report also noted that joint family structures can ease the burden of unpaid work in Bangladesh, unlike in neighboring India, and that higher education is linked to greater participation in formal jobs, whereas secondary education has little impact.
Speaking at the seminar, BIDS Director General AK Enamul Haque stressed the importance of accessible childcare, noting that factory-based daycare centers often fail to meet mothers’ needs, while community-based centers closer to home would be more effective. He also identified unsafe public transport as a major barrier to women’s employment. UN Women Deputy Representative Nabanita Sinha added that investing in basic services such as healthcare could raise women’s employment by 30–40 percent, citing international research.
Source: The Daily Star Bangla
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