Women's empowerment impossible without inclusion in mainstream economy: Fahmida Khatun
Economic capacity alone not enough for women, she says
One of the biggest obstacles to women's empowerment is the failure to properly include women in the mainstream economy, said Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
"Policies such as macroeconomic and fiscal measures offer scope to advance disadvantaged groups, but women are unable to benefit from these opportunities as they are not fully included in the development process," she said today (28 January) while speaking as a guest at a seminar.
Titled "Women's Economic Empowerment in Bangladesh: Labour Market Perspective", the seminar was organised by the Bangladesh Economic Association.
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Fahmida Khatun said increasing women's economic capacity alone does not lead to meaningful change unless it is politically recognised, as this limits women's role in decision-making.
Presenting the keynote paper, Professor Sayema Haque Bidisha, pro vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, said women's participation at the policymaking level remained disappointing, limiting genuine economic empowerment.
"Although women's educational attainment has increased significantly, their presence in key policy formulation and decision-making positions remains limited. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, women's participation in the labour market declined, while their presence in higher-level sectors stood at only 10%," she said.
Ensuring women's empowerment across all sectors is essential if the country is to move forward, she added.
Speakers at the discussion said many policies and programmes for women fail to reflect ground realities, as women's experiences and needs are not adequately considered during formulation. As a result, wage gaps, informal employment and gaps in social protection persist in the labour market.
Bidisha further said formal employment accounts for about 20% of total jobs in the country, with women holding less than 4-5% of those positions.
"In contrast, around 78% of women work in the informal sector. Increasing women's participation in formal employment would help secure their rights and improve job quality," she said.
The seminar was chaired by Professor Dr Mahbub Ullah, president of the Bangladesh Economic Association.
"Labour markets in developing countries are still not fully developed, leaving a large share of women's work outside the market. As a result, women's contribution to the economy is not properly recognised," he said.
Speakers said ensuring women's economic empowerment requires greater gender sensitivity in policymaking, investment in women's leadership and removal of institutional barriers. Otherwise, women's progress in the labour market will remain constrained by structural limitations.
