Dhaka, Bangladesh: A dialogue and exhibition event titled “She Leads the Weave: Advancing
Gender Equity and Women’s Leadership in Bangladesh’s Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Sector”
was held at Dhaka. The event was organised by Swisscontact under the Promoting Green Growth
in the Ready-Made Garments Sector through Skills (PROGRESS) project, funded by the Embassy
of Sweden and the Embassy of Switzerland.
Bringing together more than 150 participants—including women supervisors, factory officials, private
sector actors, advisory service providers, and development partners,—the event highlighted the
importance of empowering women across all levels of the RMG workforce.
In her welcome remarks, Farzana Amin, Team Leader of the PROGRESS project mentioned that
apart from being the biggest export-oriented industry, historically RMG sector has also been a
space where women walked in, earned their own wages, and rearranged the power dynamics inside
their homes and communities. However, women are yet to gain sufficient space in major decision-
making roles within larger organisations. “We aim to design a programme that will enable young
female professionals to progress from mid-level roles to senior leadership positions,” she said.
In a presentation, T M Abu Saleh, Manager- Programme of PROGRESS project stressed that
“future of this sector must be competitive and resilient. But above all, it must be shared equally by
the women who built it.
The segment “Voices from the Factory Floor” featured inspiring testimonies from women who have
progressed into leadership roles, showcasing both their challenges and successes. In a panel
discussion, experts from industry and academia emphasized the need for gender-responsive HR
practices, a cultural shift in mindset, mentorship opportunities, safer, more supportive workplaces, to
enable women’s leadership.
Panelist Vidiya Amrit Khan, Vice President of BGMEA, shared insights from her own experience,
stating: “At one point, a significant part of my management team consisted of women. However, we
faced challenges in sustaining this because many young women leave their jobs after marriage.
This reflects a broader socio-cultural issue in our industry, and it has reinforced our commitment to
creating policies and support systems that enable women to continue thriving in their careers.”
The event also featured a drama performance illustrating women’s barriers and breakthroughs,
along with an exhibition on gender-focused interventions.
In his closing remarks, Ikramul H. Sohel, Senior Programme Officer at the Embassy of Sweden,
stated that currently only a limited number of women hold leadership roles in the RMG sector, and
mentioned that the Embassy intends to increase this through its support to projects like
PROGRESS and Aporajita.
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