Participating at the three-day annual conference of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) held recently, experts have stated that apparel industry can be an indirect launching platform to help women transition from jobs to careers in developing countries like Bangladesh while also bring more women into the labour markets by adopting complementary policies.
Media reports maintained this adding these observations were made during presentation of several papers on different topics at the opening session of the third day of the said event.
A consultant in the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice, Mexico A Vergara, reportedly, presented a paper at the said event titled ‘From Jobs to Careers: Apparel Exports and Career Paths for Women in Developing Countries’.
In his presentation, the consultant at World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice focused on Bangladesh and six other countries where the female-intensive apparel industry plays an important role in the export basket.
The experts further added that to expand female career opportunities, countries must address three barriers, including low demand for career-related occupations, in service sector due to societal and cultural norms, insufficient national income and low education levels that inhibit women from working even as they underlined safety concerns play a significant role in determining women’s mobility and their labour market outcomes.
They thus harped on establishing a safe environment for women while also provide them equal access to thrive, aimed at achieving economic development.
Meanwhile, Mexico A Vergara made some policy recommendations for Bangladesh and other such countries, including that of increasing participation of female production workers in apparel manufacturing and related industries.
