Project Synopsis

The Bangladeshi ready-made garment (RMG) sector is yet to emerge as a compliance sector for its women workers in standards of decent work. From this activity’s baseline study, it was found that only 3% of women workers are enjoying better employment opportunities at their workplace. Besides, 19% of the women workers expressed their willingness to undertake higher roles, whereas roughly 80–90% of Bangladesh's labor force is employed in the informal sector.

In these circumstances, this USAID’s Thrive Activity came up as a response to multiple forms of gender discrimination that constrain women workers from realizing their full economic potential. Women workers face barriers such as negative social perception of their entrepreneur roles; their competing responsibilities for household work; having a lack of capital, job-related skills, financial literacy; and they are often subject to sexual harassment. The impact of COVID-19 makes them even more vulnerable in terms of increased stress and Gender-based Violence (GBV), as well as economic hardship and uncertainty.