Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is considering introducing an initiative across the country to make childcare part of its economic growth strategy.
The party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman said this in his Facebook post on Thursday.
He wrote: “What happens when a young mother leaves her job or a female student drops out because she cannot find adequate childcare? Bangladesh loses out on potential, productivity, and progress. The BNP’s goal is simple: to build a modern, people-centred Bangladesh where no woman has to choose between her family and her future.”
Citing the 2024 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Labour Force Survey, Tarique noted that only 43% of women participate in the labour market, compared to 80% of men. This gap is a warning that the country is leaving more than half of its talent behind.
Outlining the proposed initiative, Tarique said the BNP envisions introducing daycare centres in all public universities, gradually establishing childcare facilities in government offices, and making daycare mandatory at large private institutions and factories.
The proposal also includes tax incentives and corporate social responsibility (CSR) credits for employers providing childcare, as well as training and certification for caregivers under the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs’ standards.
According to him, such reforms could help raise women’s employment, increase family incomes, strengthen the middle class, and add up to 1% to Bangladesh’s GDP.
He also wrote: “With women making up nearly two-thirds of the garments industry workforce, the contribution of working mothers should not be undervalued. Studies from The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and International Labour Organization (ILO) show factories with childcare enjoy higher retention, lower absenteeism, and recover costs within a year.”
“Childcare is not charity – it is part of the socio-economic infrastructure. Just as roads connect markets, daycare connects women to opportunity,” he also wrote.
In the Facebook post, Tarique also mentioned about the party’s clear vision to build an inclusive trillion-dollar economy by 2034 that creates millions of jobs, where every citizen, especially women, contribute to their country’s growth with pride. “We reject any regressive idea that limits women’s potential. Empowering women through childcare, equal pay, and workplace safety is not only fairness – it’s smart economics,” he wrote.
