The autonomy of girls and young women for decision-making still remains limited, and it varies by age, according to a latest study of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
The study, conducted in Kishoreganj - a district in the country's haor region, also reveals that only 23 per cent of adolescent girls feel they can make decisions, compared to 51 per cent of young women.
Besides, significant personal autonomy remains rare among them, with just 28.5 per cent able to travel alone, and only 0.8 per cent reporting full decision-making independence, according to the study.
Its findings were presented in a dialogue titled "Reforms in Vocational Education, Employability and Market Readiness: Agenda on Adolescent and Young Women" at a city hotel on Tuesday.
CPD organised the dialogue in partnership with Save the Children International, UCEP Bangladesh, and The Earth Society.
CPD Research Director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem and Senior Research Associate A S M Shamim Alam Shibly jointly presented the study findings.
National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) Executive Chairman (EC) Nasreen Afroz was present at the event as the chief guest.
In her speech, she emphasised the need for collective efforts to build a nationwide robust skill ecosystem.
She also noted that NSDA is signing MoUs with various universities, including University of Dhaka, to develop and ensure supply of quality manpower.
While presenting the survey, Dr Moazzem highlighted that multiple barriers make the district-level job market challenging, particularly for adolescent girls and young women, causing the rural women to lag behind their urban counterparts.
He noted that significant initiatives to address these challenges are yet to be observed.
Citing the survey on the labour market in Kishoreganj, Dr Moazzem emphasised the need for expanding scopes of the local government activities in remote areas.
To boost scopes of women's employment, he recommended providing free training to them, offering incentives at the upazila level, and ensuring paid internships in agricultural and industrial sectors.
The CPD research director pointed out reluctance of businesses to provide internship opportunities, saying, "If the businesses hesitate to offer internships, how will the fresh graduates or trainees gain practical experience?"
"Experience cannot be acquired in classrooms alone. Therefore, the industrial groups should ensure internship opportunities for the youth and adolescents after completing their academic education."
Dr Moazzem urged the interim government's Labor Rights Commission to focus on eliminating the obstacles to women's employment, as overcoming these barriers is essential for both employment generation and national development.
"There are superstitions and various social hurdles regarding women. Unless these barriers are addressed, both employment and development goals will face challenges," he added.
Workers' Rights Commission Chairman Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed was present in the programme as the special guest.
CPD Board of Trustees Member and CAMPE Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury chaired the session.
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