International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women. Each year for International Women’s Day, the United Nations selects a theme. This years is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”
Textile Focus: More than 80% of women are working for the Bangladesh textile & apparel industry but at the top/decision-making level the presence of women is still very less. How you evaluate this how more women can come upon such top/decision-making positions in the T&A sector?
Sharmin Hai,Director,Purbani Group
Nowadays, many educated women are interested in starting their career in the RMG industry. However, there are still very few women in top positions compared to service-related industries.
One of the key factors is the work culture and environment of the RMG industry. It demands long working hours, traveling to factories, etc. which often become difficult and sometimes perceived unsafe for women. Also, unlike men, women are often expected to balance work and family life. Another factor, which is not limited to the RMG industry, is the ideology of our society that men are believed to lead the family’s legacy forward, while women should be supporting their male counterparts.
I believe the solutions are easy, but will take intensive effort to create awareness to improve work culture and to change our traditional norms. If equal opportunities, safety and respect are ensured, I believe many women will be interested in having a career in the RMG industry. Having said that, scenarios are changing towards a better direction for next generation female professionals. Some organizations and companies are working to encourage women to work in this sector. Our company, Purbani Group, is working on including more women in leading positions in different levels of management in both the corporate office and factories. We are confident that they will be working side by side with men in top leading positions.
I want to end with a belief that we will raise our next generation to become responsible human beings, and not limit them with gender stereotypes.
