Bangladeshi women in garment industry held back by knowledge gap

'Magic bullet' of education seen as key to opening up managerial opportunities

20240823 garment factory Bangladesh

Female workers in Bangladesh's garment factories face numerous pressures and hurdles. © Reuters

TAMAYO MUTO, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- As Bangladesh's garment factories -- crucial foreign exchange earners for the South Asian country -- reopen after a major political earthquake, they face a critical issue: Long the backbone of the industry, women have been increasingly departing due to a host of factors including hindrances to advancement.

Among female workers who left the Bangladesh Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector in 2021, just 1% did so as supervisors, according to a report last year by the Ethical Trading Initiative, a U.K. alliance of trade unions, NGOs and companies.

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