Women in Bangladesh shoulder almost four times more unpaid domestic work than men, underscoring a stark gender imbalance in household responsibilities, according to a new study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
Sajeda Amin, Senior Research Adviser at Sajeda Foundation, presented the findings at a seminar titled ‘Care Responsibility and Women's Work in Bangladesh’ held at BIDS’ Agargaon auditorium on Monday.
The disparity is particularly high among women aged 15 to 24 who spend an average of 20 hours per week on such tasks, while men in the same age group spend only five hours, according to the study.
In her presentation, Sajeda highlighted that women in joint families have a greater opportunity for productive work outside the home.
The study conducted based on the 2016 Labour Force Survey (LFS) reveals that women’s disproportionate responsibility for household care work, which includes childcare, household management and caring for the sick or elderly, is a major factor influencing their participation in the labor market.
The study suggests that these responsibilities have significant implications for women’s economic outcomes and highlight deep-seated gendered divisions of labour.
According to the study, women's preference for home-based work is a direct result of their caregiving duties. This explains why the recent increase in female labor force participation is concentrated in activities that can be performed from home.
The study found a notable divide between rural and urban areas, with participation rising in rural areas where informal, agriculture-based opportunities are more accessible, while it declines in urban areas.
This finding suggests that policy should focus on supporting the informal sector and the gig economy (labour market characterised by short-term contracts), rather than exclusively targeting the formal sector.
BIDS Director General Dr AK Enamul Haque, who presided over the seminar, pointed out a key challenge for female workers.
He said women in the garment sector often have to walk more than a kilometer to their workplaces, which prevents them from bringing their children to childcare centres, though often located within factories.
Dr Haque suggested that if workplaces were closer to homes, these daycare centers would be more utilized.
Rushidan Islam Rahman, a former Research Director at BIDS, emphasised the need for creating more jobs for women, and said as fewer employment opportunities are being created, most of them are being taken by men. More opportunities must be created for women in modern sectors like technology, she asserted.
In Bangladesh, women made up half of the country’s total population of 166.6 million after the 2022 census, with the female population recorded at 83.3 million.
According to CEIC Data, in 2023 about 4.7 per cent of women were aged between 0 and 14 years, while the majority, nearly 68.5 per cent, belonged to the 15–64 age group.
