The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE Adviser for Finance the other day underlined the need for increasing involvement of women in mainstream economic activities. He said their involvement is essential for bringing dynamism to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country by the next 15 years. He underscored a number of steps needed to achieve the goal. Economic compulsions have already made women in both urban and rural areas to engage in income generating activities outside the confines of their homes. They are performing well in the readymade garment sector. Poor ones are also engaged in the construction sector. As teachers women are preferred in primary schools, but many women teachers have earned their rightful places in secondary schools, colleges and universities. Still they lag far behind men in society.

Women form a half of the population. So, empowerment of women for their greater involvement in development pursuits has become the crying need of the hour. Women must have adequate access to opportunities and resources to succeed as entrepreneurs. They must be provided with sufficient institutional credit on easy terms to help them to initiate business. Emphasis has been laid also on need-based training for women to enhance their entrepreneurial capabilities.

Education, income generating jobs and economic freedom are at the heart of women empowerment. In a situation where women are lagging much behind their male counterparts, they should be given special opportunities as a disadvantaged section of the population to develop. But women's role in economic activities should be such that they can come out as self-reliant entrepreneurs by facing the odds in the arena of economic activities. Care should also be taken so that incentives given to women entrepreneurs do not remain confined to a limited number of privileged persons. Those should be equitably distributed to develop SMEs both in urban and rural areas.