Violence and harassment are major factors in men and women workers leaving their jobs while pregnancy is a leading reason for women in the country's readymade garment industry, according to a latest ILO and UN Women joint report.
Workers change jobs within the RMG sector fairly frequently, largely to access better salaries and working conditions. Men tend to change jobs more than women workers, it also revealed.
Other findings included most of the female workers in the RMG sector are concentrated in low-paid jobs and the participation of women in managerial positions has not improved in the sector.
The recently published study 'Understanding the Gender Composition and Experience of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Workers in Bangladesh,' was jointly conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women.
It was commissioned in 2017, while the field data collection was undertaken in 2018.
It found that sixty per cent of both men and women workers surveyed experienced repeated insults and shouting from their supervisors or line managers.
About 25 per cent of the surveyed workers cited violence, and harassment at the workplaces as main reasons for leaving jobs in RMG sector.
And 26.5 per cent reported work stress, 8.9 per cent attributed workplace injuries/ occupational diseases and 5.1 per cent for consequences of worker movements.
"Pregnant workers face severe challenges, and are often pressured into quitting their jobs," it said.
"The average expected age of RMG worker is 36.4," the report said, adding that longer working hours, no job security, owners' unwillingness to hire older workers and negative effects on health are other reasons for leaving the RMG sector before reaching the regular age of retirement.
Over 70 per cent of all workers surveyed by the study were 29 years old or younger.
"The study's focus group discussions highlighted that work in the RMG sector is extremely physically stressful. As such, most women workers do not want to continue working in the sector until they reach the regular age of retirement."
The report also found that the jobs of 97.1 per cent of women workers are concentrated in low wage grade compared to 80.8 per cent of men.
There are seven wage grades in the production section in the RMG sector and grade 1 is the highest paid, and grade 7 the lowest.
There were more men than women in higher level positions (grades 1 and 2) in the production section, and far more women than men in lower level positions (grades 3 to 7).
"While 83.8 per cent of women workers surveyed are employed in grades 4 to 7, this is true for only 67.7 per cent of male workers," the report said.
It also showed that the lower representation of women in managerial and leadership positions and identified no improvements in enhancing women's representation in managerial and leadership positions in the RMG sector in the past decade.
Citing a report of Better Work, the ILO said that men held 95 per cent of line supervisor positions.
The perceptions of women and men respondents shed light on gender-based stereotypes, discrimination and norms that affect workers' leadership roles, the report said.
About 67.7 per cent and 51.4 per cent women and men respectively highlighted intense workload, 40 per cent suggested that women do not feel qualified for these roles.
More than 80 per cent surveyed respondents believe that 'men can work faster' than women, and men's 'output is greater' than that of women.
Besides, 68.2 per cent pointed out that men can work at night, while a greater proportion of male respondents noted that men do not face security problems when working or returning home late.
The report also revealed that the proportion of women workers in surveyed RMG enterprises declined between 2010 and 2018.
The data collected by the study from 260 enterprises revealed that women accounted for 60.5 per cent of their workers in 2018, a decline from 63.4 per cent in 2010
The report further revealed that most RMG workers are satisfied with their current employers and jobs. Women workers report higher levels of satisfaction than men.
Factors underlying job satisfaction include the timely payment of salaries and overtime, particularly among women workers. Other frequently cited reasons are also financial, including a festival bonus, regular weekly leave, the payment of minimum wages, and a regular attendance bonus.
When asked, Fazlul Haque, former president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, disagreed with some of the findings including pregnancy, violence and harassment as major reasons for leaving RMG jobs.
He said there are laws while buyers are strictly monitoring the issues.
Regarding women workers' low presence in higher grade, he attributed required education, mental readiness and negative perception about the industry.
When asked, Nazma Akter, a labour leader, said pregnant women face a number of difficulties in workplaces while many of them are forced to resign.
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