Women leaders share factory-floor realities at swisscontact event

A dialogue and exhibition titled "She Leads the Weave: Advancing Gender Equity and Women's Leadership in Bangladesh's Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Sector" was held in Dhaka.

The event was organised by Swisscontact under the Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector through Skills (PROGRESS) project, funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Switzerland.

Bringing together more than one hundred and fifty participants — including women supervisors, factory officials, private sector representatives, advisory service providers and development partners — the event highlighted the importance of empowering women across all levels of the RMG workforce.

In her welcome remarks, PROGRESS Team Leader Farzana Amin said that although the RMG sector is the country's largest export industry, it has also been a space where women entered the workforce, earned their own wages and shifted power dynamics at home and in their communities. However, women still lack representation in major decision-making roles across larger organisations. "We aim to design a programme that will enable young female professionals to progress from mid-level roles to senior leadership positions," she said.

In a presentation, PROGRESS Manager (Programme) T M Abu Saleh said, "The future of this sector must be competitive and resilient. But above all, it must be shared equally by the women who built it."

A segment titled "Voices from the Factory Floor" featured testimonies from women who have advanced into leadership roles, sharing both their challenges and achievements. In a panel discussion, speakers from industry and academia stressed the need for gender-responsive HR practices, cultural change, mentorship opportunities and safer, more supportive workplaces to enable women's leadership.

Panellist Vidiya Amrit Khan, vice president of the BGMEA, shared insights from her own experience, saying, "At one point, a significant part of my management team consisted of women. However, we faced challenges in sustaining this because many young women leave their jobs after marriage. This reflects a broader socio-cultural issue in our industry, and it reinforces our commitment to creating policies and support systems that enable women to continue thriving in their careers."

The event also featured a drama performance illustrating women's barriers and breakthroughs, along with an exhibition showcasing gender-focused interventions.

In his closing remarks, Ikramul H Sohel, senior programme officer at the Embassy of Sweden, said that only a limited number of women currently hold leadership positions in the RMG sector, and noted that the embassy intends to expand this through its support to initiatives such as PROGRESS and Aporajita.