The New Nation - Internet Edition

A REPORT in this paper has quoted an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report that a typical female factory worker earns on average 21 per cent less than her male counterpart in Bangladesh. The report said that work place discrimination is seen more at menial jobs than at well-paid white-collar jobs requiring higher education and expertise. But the menial female workers are far greater in number than the office workers. They are joining the labour force from a desire to supplement their income to take care of themselves as well as their families.

Thus, it is very undesirable and a case of gross inequity if they are paid less for the same work done by male co-workers. There is a need for making employers conscious of their duty and obligation to pay the female workers equally for the same type of work done by male workers. The position of women, their expected contribution to the national economy, their desirable social and family roles need to change under clear cut policies. It must be realised that there are formidable social barriers to be overcome for women to get their due and make a far bigger contribution to the economy.

The traditional view in Bangladesh society is that the best place for a woman is within the confines of her home. This is an antithesis of the functioning of a modern economy that invites paid work in different sectors of the economy by both males and females to maximise production, income and consumption. The socio-cultural hurdles to females coming into the mainstream of employment and getting fair remuneration for their work, need to be crossed with the building of widespread social awareness, framing and execution of appropriate policies.