Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
fabrics used to make shirts and trousers. It also provides
them with duty-free access to the EU.
Well-known brands such as Nike, Ralph Lauren,
T Tommy Hilfiger, and others are made in Bangladesh. The
United States and the EU are the largest purchasers of
Bangladeshi-made garments. Clothing factories and related
activities employ four million workers, 90 percent of
whom are women.
Until recently , children were also employed in the
textile industry . In 1993, the U.S. Congress passed a bill
to ban Bangladeshi clothing made with child labor.
Consequently , 50,000 children were dismissed from the
industry . Bangladesh has since agreed with international
organizations to ban children from the garment sector.
that their male and female coworkers are “like
brothers and sisters.” In other words, they have
domesticated
the workplace.
Since clothing manufacturing is regarded
(globally) as women' s work, women feel that they
are in the “right” area of employment. This type of
job redeems itself in that it not only brings extra
income but also brings self-respect, dignity , and
status to women of their class. Higher-class
women would prefer more “suitable” teaching or
government positions, but lack of such jobs medi-
ates their decisions to join the ranks of garment
workers.
Even so, many women still believe that they are
being sinful as there are also men working in the
factories. Moreover, they are exposing themselves
to males on the street as they walk to work. As one
interviewee proclaimed, “Allah does not want
women to mix with men. He asks us to remain
within four walls, wear a
dosh-hather
, [10-foot (3 m)
long)] sari, and a
burkah
if we go outside.” Another
said, “What else can I do, I have to live somehow….
But we are being sinful….”
Women Working Outside
the Home?
If women are not supposed to go out on their own,
how come they can go to work away from home at
a factory? Social-economist Naila Kabeer (2000)
explains how women in Bangladesh have reconsti-
tuted their situation in the context of a patriarchal
society . This includes the decision to “go out” to
work—a renegotiation of
purdah.
Public disfavor of women working for wages
outside the home provides the context for women' s
decision making. Many believe that women are
taking jobs away from men and that their exposure
to the (male) outside world is a “threat to moral
order.” The view that “garment girls” are of “loose
moral character” is widespread. In order to sustain
the employment of women in this industry , both
employers and women have had to create a sce-
nario where “chaste” women are working in
“chaste” environments.
Employers, who think that women work
harder and are more “docile” than men, assure
their female workers that they are safe. In fact,
women are commonly guarded and locked in their
workplaces—symbolic of their assured “protec-
tion.” Several fires have erupted and women killed
because they could not get out of the factory . The
most recent in 2010 took the lives of 21 women.
Since female workers see themselves as “pro-
tected,” they can conceive of themselves as not
breaking
purdah
. There are males working in the
factories but women have internalized the notion
NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
(NGOs)
There are more NGOs in Bangladesh than in any other
country . More than 80 percent of Bangladeshi villages
have them. According to most reports, NGOs function
far more effectively than government organizations such
as the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee
(BRAC). Y et, BRAC provides health services to more than
100 million. It educates 1.5 million children and creates
jobs for landless peasants. With a mostly female staff of
108,000, it operates like a state within a state.
Proshika organizes environmentally sensitive hu-
man development programs such as organic, sustainable
farming and tree planting. It also distributes special filters
to remove arsenic from water.
The most well known NGO in Bangladesh is the
Grameen Bank
, which offers small loans to the poor—
again mostly women—for shops, sewing machines, and
other labor-saving devices. They also loan money to
purchase livestock or anything else to empower women.
Grameen has given credit to 7.3 million individuals—
93 percent of whom are women. Women are regarded as
better managers of household finances and more respon-
sible in paying back loans. Loans are also made to small
Search WWH ::
Custom Search