Breaking the glass ceiling: a study on the leadership role of women in the Bangladesh garment industry

Abstract

Bangladesh's Garment Industry (RMG) started its journey in the late 1970s in response to the worldwide demand for inexpensive garments and has come to the position it is in today. In the ensuing decades, Bangladesh, which was once called as “international bottomless basket case" has now become a "rising star or basket full of wonders" owing to rapid expansion of its industries. Globalization and neoliberal policies played a huge role in the growth of immense positive trends in the garment sectors of Bangladesh. One of the key social impacts of this garment industry is the opportunity created for women who were restricted from taking part in the social and economic activities in respect of the Purdha culture which demands seclusion of women from the public observation. As a result of women entering into the job market, remarkable changes have been observed in the lives of women with the smooth advent of garment industries in Bangladesh. The Readymade Garment Industry (from here on RMG) in Bangladesh employs around eighty five percent of female employees, making it the best or highest recruiter of women employees in Bangladesh. Despite the fact that the ready-made garment industries are dominated by women in terms of number of workers, their involvement in the leadership roles such as supervisors and manager positions in the industries has been consistently lower than men. Women comprise 80% of operators but only 10% of women serve in supervisory roles or higher. This gender gap shows a clear picture that while women dominate the lower job levels, the decision-making positions are strongly male-dominated. So, this research outlines the demographic characteristics of the respondents, uncover the factors that prevent women’s upward mobility in the RMG sector, and looks at the recent upturns in female leadership. The result shows that there are internal structures and cultures such as limited training, notion of who can do what, and glass ceilings, which make it hard for women to rise up the ladder. On the contrary, increased calls for women to take up leadership positions in recent years depict that organizational norms are shifting as a result of imploring environmental forces such as the need for different dynamics and the cardinal need for gender equity. Through shedding light on these relationships, the study extends the gender literature by providing explanations concerning the relationships between demographics, barriers to women’s empowerment and changing leadership styles in the RMG industry. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for specific policies which promote equality and provide equal opportunities to all citizens which is in line with the fifth sustainable development goal (SDG 5) which is gender equality.