1 AIT Asian Institute of Technology

Women workers in the garment manufacturing industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh : problems and prospects

AuthorJamaly, Rumana Masud
Call NumberAIT Thesis no.HS-92-11
Subject(s)Women--Employment--Bangladesh|zDhaka
NoteA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science, School of Engineering and Technology
PublisherAsian Institute of Technology
Series StatementThesis ; no. HS-92-11
AbstractMost of the developing countries, in the recent years, have e mbarked upon the path of export oriented industrialization as the only solution to their problems of underdevelopment. In Bangladesh, many export led garment manufacturing factories have been establis hed in recent years, given full governme nt support and incentives. The garment factories const itute common gat eways to women seeking jobs in the industrial sector . These women are b eing exploited, both in terms of unhygienic and substandard working environment plus low wages. Labour l aws provide many benefits for women in Bang l adesh. However, in reality wome n enjoy few of these benefits. Moreove r, the women labour force, being more passive and non-unionized do not and cannot compel the employer to provide them with basic minimum faci lities in their work place. Another important problem faced by the working women specially in urba n areas is the lack of proper transport and accommodation . This study aims to explore and analyze the socio-economic condition of the women workers employed in the garment manufacturing industry .and propose possible policy measures which would improve the socio-economic and wa~e-labour situation of the women workers in the garment industry, so that they would get eq u al opportunities a nd would perform in a better work environment . The study found that employment in an industry like garments is necessary for the survival of the hou seholds of the women workers. The violations of most of the factory acts and laws, plus basic worker rights are either ignored or taken lightly by the government . Efforts to uni o nize the women workers has been minimal with the e mployers resisting and the government siding with the employers. However, the garment factories provide an easy access for these women to engage in wage labour, who would get very little opportunities otherwise. Finally, identifying the n eed and scope for improvement of the women wage-labour situation in t h e garment industry i n Bangladesh, some policy measures were proposed to improve the overall s ituation .
Year1992
Corresponding Series Added EntryAsian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. HS-92-11
TypeThesis
SchoolSchool of Engineering and Technology (SET)
DepartmentDepartment of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE)
Academic Program/FoSHuman Settlement (HS)
Chairperson(s)Wickramanayake, B. W. E.;
Examination Committee(s)Weber, Karl E. ;Amin, A. T. M. Nurul;
Scholarship Donor(s)Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD);
DegreeThesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology


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