Raising women\\\'s employment and entrepreneurship

Lack of opportunities for women employment, not to mention in suitable works/jobs, is a phenomenon common to most developing countries. The situation persists in the developed world too, though in varying perspectives. The difficulties that women in our parts of the world encounter in seeking jobs are, for the most part, tied to factors that are imbedded in the social system, often ignored by the state by not responding to initiate actions either through proactive moves, or, when necessary, through enacting appropriate laws. True, the situation now in these countries is far different - more improved than what it was decades ago.
A recently released World Bank report, while noting the changes in the overall situation, has highlighted some critical impediments as stumbling blocks, removal of which can only promote female employment in a desirable way. The World Bank report based on surveys on laws and practices that impede women's employment and entrepreneurship in 173 countries, found that countries in the South Asian region are among the most restrictive in discouraging women entrepreneurship and employment. The report titled Women, Business and the Law-2016 says women in South Asia continue to trail their peers in many other parts of the world as discriminatory laws thwart their economic advancement.
As regards Bangladesh, the report mentioned a number of factors that are potentially responsible for distorting the opportunities that otherwise could have contributed to increased women empowerment through jobs and entrepreneurship. While identifying some of those, it noted the need for a substantial improvement in order for the country to reach its goal of becoming a middle income country by 2021. For this to happen, the report says, there should be an increase in female labour force participation rate by 82 per cent over the next decade from the current 34 per cent, which would add 1.8 percentage points to potential gross domestic product (GDP) growth each year. This has been aptly reinforced by the observation in the report that if all women were to be excluded from the labour force, global per capita income would have been nearly 40 per cent lower.
 The key indicators on which the study report is based include: accessing institutions, using property, getting a job, providing incentives to work, building credit, going to court and protecting women from violence. Needless to mention, despite commendable progress in women's participation rate in Bangladesh's labour force thanks to the growth of the readymade garment sector, none of these parameters offers a pleasant picture in terms of increased opportunities for women in the country. At the root of all these is the perennial gender inequality which, because of government's inaction and inhibiting social practices and customs, is a potential deterrent - not only in Bangladesh but in most other countries and regions.
According to the findings of the report, gender inequality in women's entrepreneurship and labour force participation account for an estimated income loss of 27 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa, 19 per cent in South Asia, 14 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 10 per cent in Europe. It mentions that in Bangladesh there are six legal gender differences of which the most predominant one is the absence of equal access to assets through inheritance for daughters and widows.
True, micro-finance has done wonders in many parts of the country in developing women entrepreneurship in small scale businesses, often run from households in rural and semi-rural areas. The central bank of the country keeps harping on facilitating credit to aspiring women entrepreneurs, particularly in the small and medium scale businesses. But there is a definite need to look at the matter beyond just instructing the commercial banks to be credit-friendly to women. As for seeking jobs/works, women have very little choice as things are either dictated by establishments or limited by social practices, including taboos of sorts.
What the WB report has mentioned regarding raising female workforce participation from the existing 34 per cent to well over 80 per cent over the next decade calls for a radical improvement in many sectors of the economy, with manufacturing pedalling the productivity cycle most. One has reasons to doubt if this is a feasible proposition given the state of things now. Looking at female employment and entrepreneurship in isolation will not help. Unless productive factors and investment opportunities are well geared, we will have to remain content with identifying the maladies and not addressing them.  
wasiahmed.bd@hotmail.com