MONIRA MUNNI
Laila Zaman, a 40-year-old who used to work at a renowned western apparel buyer's Dhaka office, left her job having failed to shoulder the double burden of childcare and career.
A mother of two quit her job a year back with an eye to raising her offspring as she found it difficult to balance home life and full-time work.
As the working parents, they used to keep their kids at a daycare centre at Badda before going to office and took them back home after office.
Previously, Ms Zaman relied on a domestic aid but her frequent visit to village home and long stays put the couple in trouble finding none to take their care.
The centre was good enough but very expensive as she had to pay Tk 15,000 for two kids without food and other necessities.
"I had to provide them with breakfast, lunch and snacks for the whole day as the centre only looks after them," Ms Zaman. "Finally, I decided to quit my job and gave my all efforts to raise them."
Ms Zaman is not a single case. The scenario is similar for many working females who compelled quit their jobs mainly to raise children in absence of childcare centres or near and dear ones, mostly mothers or mothers-in-law.
Childcare has an impact of employment decision, which has also been surfaced in a latest report by Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID).
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has developed a roadmap for childcare in Bangladesh based on the RAPID research findings.
Talking to the FE, RAPID executive director Dr Abu Eusuf said some 54 per cent of women cited inadequate childcare as a significant barrier to workforce participation.
Inadequate childcare facilities negatively affect women's participation in the labour market. Again, due to insufficient childcare options, 34 per cent reported a decline in job performance and 18 per cent had to quit their jobs.
On the other hand, 13 per cent women declined job offers.
According to Dr Eusuf, the study provides a foundation for evidence-based policymaking to drive equitable and inclusive childcare solutions.
Currently, Bangladesh has 63 government-run daycare centres, while there are over 100 private centres.
However, most of the private models remain unaffordable for low- and middle-income families, noted Dr Eusuf.
Even in the apparel industry that creates employment for 4.0-million workers, mostly women, also suffers a scarcity of skilled workforce.
A joint study by ETI and GIZ found some 26.67 per cent surveyed workers who left job mainly because of caring of children while 11.34 per cent attributed the decline in women in the sector due to childbirth.
According to the RAPID report, women with children under six years old are more likely to be out of the workforce as 19 per cent urban women with children less than six years old are out of the labour force.
Sammilita Garment Sramik Federation president Nazma Akter said in the absence of required and cost-effective childcare facilities, many skilled workers are compelled to leave jobs and go back to villages.
On the other hand, physical and mental growth of children is also hampered as female workers cannot breastfeed mostly two months after childbirth.
Law stipulates that a factory having more than 40 female workers must have a childcare centre, but it is hardly executed, she said, adding that factories have childcare centres with a capacity up to 50 children mostly to pass audit or pressed by foreign buyers.
Studies found that parents also expressed significant concerns about the safety and quality of childcare services. About 36 per cent pointed out untrained staffers as a key issue.
On the other hand, 25 per cent highlighted the lack of early childhood development and learning facilities.
However, the RAPID study revealed types of workers, including daycare officer, caregiver, teacher, health teacher, cleaner and cook, at childcare centres.
According to stakeholders, the childcare sector has huge potential to create decent jobs for youth and women directly contributing to econmy alongside addressing the problem of unemployment.
Already, several initiatives such as Child Daycare Centre Act 2021 and Bangladesh Labour Rules 2015 have been introduced to strengthen service delivery in regard to childcare.
Bangladesh is experiencing rising demand for care services, driven by industrialisation, demography, climate change and migration. This demand is creating significant potential for job creation in the care sector, they added.
However, the sector still faces challenges like accessibility, affordability and quality, which are limiting to explore its full potential, according to them.
Talking to the FE, Rahat Hossain, co-founder and COO of Ayat Care, which provides both care givers and training, said they got complaints from both service receivers and givers.
Receivers are not always aware of the job description. In many cases, nannies are asked to perform household chores while givers are unwilling to do the tasks beyond childcare, he explained.
Also, caregivers are, in most cases, do not continue the job after six months as they find it not redeeming with no enhancements in salaries and career development prospects, he added.
Kohinur Akter, a caregiver, demanded social recognition, saying that people most of the time do not understand or have little knowledge of their service.
According to the ILO Global Care Policy Portal launched in March 2023 where it carried out a simulation exercise for Bangladesh to illustrate the investment requirements and the benefits of investing in publicly or collectively funded care package covering four care policies: childcare-related paid leave (maternity, paternity and parental leave), breastfeeding breaks, early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and long term care services.
According to the simulation, the ILO estimates that investing in universal ECCE, Bangladesh holds the potential to create around 7.0 million new jobs by 2035 in caregiving services while the global demand may rise over 300 million.
Requisite investments in care policies like childcare and long-term care and proper trainings can help realise the chances, the ILO shows at a time when Bangladesh needs huge jobs for various segments of unemployed population.
ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen in a recent event said "Access to quality, affordable childcare is essential for gender equality and social justice. It determines whether parents, especially mothers, can pursue work opportunities and how much of their income is spent on care-an issue particularly critical for families in informal settlements."
Reliable, high-quality childcare supports both family stability and workforce participation, he said further emphasising the importance of aligning childcare initiatives with international labour standards.
Highlighting the government's commitment to improving the system, Mamtaz Ahmed, senior secretary of women and children affairs ministry, said a robust childcare system would enable more women to join and stay in the workforce while also creating job opportunities for both women and men in the sector.
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