Women in Bangladesh earn 22–25 per cent less than men every month, with the gap persisting even after differences in education, age, occupation and sector are taken into account, according to a recent report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The report, The Gender Pay Gap in Bangladesh: Trends, Causes and Policy Options, found that rising educational attainment among women has not translated into equal economic returns, as much of the earnings gap remains unexplained by measurable factors such as qualifications, experience, industry or job type.
Bangladesh scored 41.9 per cent in economic participation and opportunity, ranking 142nd among 145 countries, highlighting the continued gap in women’s access to jobs and economic opportunities.
The labour market divide remains wide. Women’s employment rate stands at 38.41–40.2 per cent, compared with 77.9–79.96 per cent for men. Only 19 per cent of employed women hold wage-paying jobs, compared with 48 per cent of employed men, while women account for just 17 per cent of the country’s wage workforce.
The report identified an education-employment paradox. Although women make up around 35 per cent of the country’s highly educated population, only 5 per cent of highly educated women participate actively in the labour market.
The ILO said education and skills alone cannot close the pay gap, as women with equivalent or superior qualifications continue to face barriers in recruitment, promotion and access to higher-paying roles.
“Even when women obtain high qualifications, they are still pushed towards specific ‘women-friendly’ job roles that happen to pay less,” the report said.
Occupational segregation remains a major factor behind the disparity. Women are concentrated in lower-paying sectors such as tailoring, embroidery, beauty care and food processing, while men dominate higher-paying technical fields including electrical installation, mechanical repair, information technology and heavy machinery operation.
Manufacturing accounts for 41 per cent of female wage employment, compared with 23 per cent for men. Domestic and care work accounts for 19 per cent of employed women, while the education sector contributes 12 per cent of female wage employment.
Women’s presence in leadership roles remains limited. They hold only 6.16–6.2 per cent of managerial and senior official positions, compared with 10.8 per cent in South Asia and 30 per cent globally. Women represent around 20.75 per cent of professional and technical workers.
Informal employment further increases women’s vulnerability to wage inequality. Around 87 per cent of female workers and 91 per cent of male workers are engaged in informal employment, where contracts, regulated wage-setting and labour protections are often limited.
The ILO said nearly nine out of 10 wage employees in Bangladesh work informally, making it difficult for workers to demand fair wages or challenge unequal treatment.
The earnings gap is also linked to the unequal burden of unpaid care work. Female wage workers spend an average of 27.7 hours a week on household chores and care responsibilities, compared with 7.6–7.7 hours for men.
When paid and unpaid work are combined, women spend about 73.7 hours a week on total work, compared with 59–59.6 hours for men. Women spend around 46 hours a week in paid employment, compared with 51.9 hours for men.
The report said responsibilities for childcare, eldercare, cooking and household management restrict women’s ability to take additional work hours, pursue training and seek promotions requiring mobility or flexible schedules.
Social expectations around maternity leave and family responsibilities also influence employer decisions on recruitment, task allocation and promotions, while safety concerns and harassment risks limit women’s access to jobs involving night shifts, long-distance travel or isolated workplaces.
The ILO recommended stronger enforcement of equal pay principles, transparent job evaluation systems, improved labour inspections, expanded childcare support and more gender-inclusive skills development.
The report called for greater access for women to higher-paying technical and digital fields, transparent promotion systems and mentorship programmes to support their advancement into supervisory, managerial and executive positions.
It also recommended reforms in maternity benefit financing, care policies and gender-disaggregated labour market data collection to address the structural causes behind the gender pay gap.
