Impact of RMG Sector on Livelihood Change of Women Employees of Bangladesh

Afsana Mustafa¹, M. Serajul Islam^1, , Saiful Islam¹ and Mahfuja Khatun¹

¹Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Savar, Dhaka

Cite this paper:
Afsana Mustafa, M. Serajul Islam, Saiful Islam and Mahfuja Khatun. Impact of RMG Sector on Livelihood Change of Women Employees of Bangladesh. Social and Economic Geography. 2016; 2(1):1-10. doi: 10.12691/seg-2-1-1

Abstract

The present study was conducted to document the sociodemographic profile of women workers in RMG sectors and to assess the impact of employment in RMG for livelihood change. For this study, two garment factories from Gazipur district and other two garment factories from Dhaka district were selected purposively. Related data and information were collected from 60 sample women workers. Both tabular and quantitative analyses were done to achieve the objectives. In this study, the women workers were categorized into four groups and they are operator, helper, polyman and quality controller (QC). It was found that 75 percent of the women workers completed primary education and no women worker found above secondary level of education. Average monthly income of the operator, helper, polyman and quality controller was BDT 6,675, BDT 4,954, BDT 5,600 and BDT 6,350, respectively. The value of coefficients of the variables income of women garment worker, income of other family members, number of working members and years of schooling of women workers were found significant to increase the household income. Findings of the study showed that with the involvement in garments industry all women had brought positive changes in different types of livelihood assets such as financial capital, physical capital, human capital, social capital and natural capital. About 90 percent of women workers claimed both income and savings increased. Again, 77 percent women workers reported that their overall livelihood status has improved after involving in garments industry. About 73 percent of them reported that their medicine facilities had improved because the garments factories provide free medical checkup and free medicine for the workers. Moreover, 70 percent, 66 percent and 74 percent of women workers opined that their clothing, sanitation and housing facilities had improved respectively than before. By getting employment opportunity in RMG sector, the women are contributing both in society and economy of the country.

Keywords:
livelihood status women garment workers employment opportunities and livelihood assets

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