Is Bangladesh Experiencing a 'Feminization' of the Labour Force?

Simeen Mahmud, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS)

In Bangladesh the primacy of women’s household and care-giving work not only makes it invisible but also depresses their propensity to participate in the visible market economy, resulting in female labour force participation rates that are a fraction of male rates. However, in the last decade growth of the female labour force was considerably greater, both in absolute and in relative terms, and the female share in incremental labour force increase has risen rapidly. These trends indicate a “feminization” of the labour market, with consequences for the quality of women’s employment and the welfare of women and family members dependent upon their care-giving labour. This paper examines official labour statistics to describe this phenomenon and accompanying changes in gender segregation of the labour market, and tries to assess the direct impact of feminization on women’s access to more rewarding market work and the indirect impact on their status.