A garment worker works at a factory during a countrywide lockdown to try to contain the spread of Covid-19 on July 5, 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Society Bangladesh19. September 2021

Women Can Be Leaders Too, Says This Gender Equality Program

The Gender Equality and Returns (GEAR) program is paving the way for women to assume leadership roles in Bangladesh, educating and helping them to pursue a fairer, more just workplace.

Aimed at educating female garment workers, “GEAR’s six-month course helps women workers gain confidence, manage stress, and learn how to communicate effectively with colleagues,” (Karim, 2021). Furthermore, the program allows women to assume higher-ranking and higher-paying jobs at a time when their current factory work is in jeopardy due to advancing technology and more sustainable business models.

One garment worker, Nurunnahar Begum, has worked as a seamstress at a garment factory for the past ten years. Following her training, Begum is now a supervisor with an increased salary – allowing her family of four to rent an extra bedroom. “Despite my poor education,” Begum begins, “I became a supervisor […]. Now my goal is to move even higher. […] If men can do it, why can’t I?”

Source:
Thomson Reuters Foundation

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