Despite rising awareness and a range of industry initiatives, sustaining women’s leadership in Bangladesh’s ready-made garments (RMG) sector remains a significant challenge, even though women constitute the majority of the workforce. This concern was highlighted at a Dhaka dialogue and exhibition titled “She Leads the Weave: Advancing Gender Equity and Women’s Leadership in Bangladesh’s RMG Sector.”
Speaking as a distinguished panellist, Vidiya Amrit Khan, Vice-President of the BGMEA and Deputy Managing Director of Desh Garments Limited, underscored the difficulty of retaining women in leadership pipelines. She recalled that while a substantial share of her management team had once been women, many left their roles after marriage, reflecting a wider socio-cultural challenge that continues to impede career progression for women in the industry. She added that this reality underscores the need for supportive workplace policies that enable women to remain in and advance through professional roles.
She also stressed that in what remains a male-dominated industry and broader cultural environment, active endorsement from senior male leaders is essential to drive meaningful progress in promoting women to leadership positions.
Lithe Mohiuddin, Chair of the BGMEA Standing Committee on Gender Equality, stated that the RMG sector plays a critical role in advancing women’s empowerment in Bangladesh. She emphasised that dignity, gender equality and equitable opportunities must be assured not only within the garments sector but throughout the wider economy.
Organised by Swisscontact under the Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector through Skills (PROGRESS) project, the event convened more than 150 participants. Attendees included women supervisors, factory managers, private sector representatives, advisory service providers and development partners, creating a collaborative platform to discuss inclusive leadership, skills development and long-term gender equity in the RMG industry.
