Simple measures for big change

Participation of women in formal businesses is still poor in Bangladesh. Many of the women entrepreneurs refrain from entering the trading or manufacturing sector as they incur higher cost of doing business than that of their male counterparts. It is evident that cost of doing business is higher for women in business.

Women entrepreneurs' reliance on third-party to avail necessary services and licences from the government offices is one of the major reasons. They avoid visiting service delivery offices in-person, and naturally, are subjected to pay more. This is because of lack of gender-friendly infrastructure in many of the government offices. On different occasions, many of the women service seekers have shared their bitter experiences in public offices. Even, there is dearth of gender sensitive infrastructure in the modern government buildings too.

Against the backdrop, women entrepreneurs usually shy away from those service delivery offices. For businesswomen, such deficiencies further exacerbate the reliance on others, adding to the costs.

Biologically, women require some additional facilities such as wash room, lactating room, prayer room, bright lights in corridors, etc. These are essential for their well-being and safety. However, the service providing government entities hardly pay attention to the need while drafting or finalising an infrastructure project.

Rawson Ara, a women entrepreneur involved in food processing business, is one of the sufferers. She refrains from visiting the Customs Houses and often assigns a person to obtain necessary services. "I am compelled to employ staffs to deal with the customs issues and communicate with the clearing forwarding agents which my male counterpart can do themselves," she explained. She said there is huge rush of service seekers, mostly male, in the customs houses, having narrow corridors with insufficient lights. "Cost of my business operation naturally turned higher affecting my competitiveness in the market and subsequently escalated prices of manufactured products from my factories," she said.

Ms Ara is one of the hundreds of thousands of business women in Bangladesh who are being deprived of obtaining services on their own to run businesses and comply with the requirements of public law.

Unfortunately, many of the new large infrastructure projects, luxurious buildings for different government divisions and authorities do not always have specific provisions for ensuring gender-sensitive infrastructure.

In this context, a gender sensitive diagnosis of the USAID-Feed the Future Bangladesh Trade Activity has found female representation of the total employees in the customs house and ports ranges from 10 to 30 per cent on an average.

Prayer rooms are inadequate and not available in 70 per cent of facilities surveyed. The diagnosis has also found poor lighting in corridors in 60 per cent of the facilities visited.

It has also been found that there were no designated toilets for junior officials in 60 per cent of the facilities. Also, none of the facilities had designated toilets for female clients.

In case of washrooms, prayer rooms in some facilities for government officials, the Trade Activity survey respondents have blamed poor maintenance of those.

Though 60 per cent of the government infrastructure has dedicated washrooms for its female senior officials, junior female officers usually have access to only unisex washrooms that regularly affects both their well-being and productivity.

This brings us to the example of Sayra, (not her real name) who was excited to receive an appointment in a highly coveted job in the government. On her first day, her enthusiasm was shortlived when she learnt that her office space did not have a designated toilet for women and she had to share the toilet facility with her male colleagues. Lack of such an essential feature led to discomfort that affected her productivity. Sayra is, of course, not alone in her journey.

There is no disagreement that construction of government offices can transform the work environment, making it more gender-sensitive and accessible. By integrating simple design considerations, the government can create space to promote inclusivity, empowerment, and equal opportunities for women, particularly in trade-related offices,

This can also help Bangladesh's position in the global gender rankings that is related to women's economic participation and opportunity. The country currently ranks 139th among 146 countries, a stark contrast to Bangladesh's overall strong position of 59th that is largely derived from the country's commendable development programmes in many socio-economic spheres. This data is derived from the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum.

With an increasing number of women now a part of the workforce and the exponential rise in the number of women now doing business, it is imperative that more comprehensive approach to gender inclusive infrastructure is considered in the construction of the buildings and key public offices.

According to the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), the Bangladesh Building Code 2020 has some clauses for gender inclusive washrooms, but the designs of government offices are made centrally by the Department of Architecture and unless there are explicit requirements from the clients/decision making authority, gender considerations are usually not included in the technical designs. This has a more profound effect on offices situated out of Dhaka.

The revised national building code has incorporated certain provisions, specifically in terms of accessibility and menstrual hygiene management in the washrooms in addition to a number of policies to build gender-sensitive infrastructure including daycare facilities. These provisions should address the specific challenges and requirements faced by women and marginalized groups. For instance, guidelines can be introduced for the inclusion of dedicated and private nursing rooms, ensuring adequate lighting in common spaces, and installing gender-specific washrooms with proper facilities and privacy including diaper changing stations.

A good example is that of RJSC (the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies). They have taken simple low-cost measures within their existing facilities to introduce separate washroom for women and designated seats for female clients in addition to gender sensitive security screening and a priority desk for the female clients.

As we strive for greater gender equality and economic empowerment, it is crucial that we prioritise the creation of inclusive spaces. It's not just a matter of convenience; it's a matter of dignity, safety, and productivity. Moreover, it is essential for Bangladesh's global standing in gender equality rankings. Let us hope that government authorities, architects, and decision-makers heed to this call to create a more equitable and accessible future for all.

Doulot Akter Mala is a journalist. [email protected]; Shahmina Isha Mannan is a trade and gender specialist. [email protected]