Leading women business leaders and professionals in Bangladesh on Sunday highlighted several challenges that continued to hinder women’s full participation in the workforce.

Despite notable progress in women’s involvement across various sectors, gender-biased mindsets and deeply entrenched societal attitudes remained significant obstacles, they said.

Business leaders mentioned that traditional gender roles often restricted women’s access to equal opportunities, preventing them from fully integrating into the workforce.

They made the observations at a seminar titled Rights. Equality. Empowerment: A Discussion on Women’s Progress in Bangladesh’ held at Ascott Palace Hotel, organised by the Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

The professionals called for key policy reforms, including simplifying trade licensing and improving access to finance for women entrepreneurs, to boost their participation in the business world.

These measures aim to foster a more inclusive economy by addressing the unique challenges faced by women in business.

Takahashi Naoki, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, attended the event as the Chief Guest, with Sayema Haque Bidisha, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka and Rubaba Dowla, Country Managing Director of Oracle Bangladesh, serving as Special Guests.

Tahera Ahsan, Executive Director of JBCCI, moderated the program, with the welcome speech delivered by Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan, President of JBCCI.

Maria Howlader, Secretary General of JBCCI, delivered key remarks, discussing global gender parity in relation to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 and calling for action to achieve gender equality.

Selima Ahmad, President of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI), shared her personal experiences and the challenges she faced as a professional woman.

She underscored the need for encouraging more women entrepreneurs, particularly in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.

Selima stressed that trade licensing processes and access to finance must be simplified and made more women-friendly.

Sayema Haque Bidisha discussed the formal and informal sector employment divide between male and female workers and how 70 per cent of women work in agriculture which was categorised as informal work.

She commented on the quality of female employment, not just to focus on quantity.

Rubaba Dowla also emphasised that women’s presence in the workplace was crucial for ensuring the sustainable growth of the economy.

The event also featured a panel discussion, moderated by Tahera Ahsan.

Panelists included Kazi Rubaiya Islam, Corporate and Media Relations Lead at JTI, Uzma Chowdhury, Director (Finance) at Pran-RFL Group and Aminata, Assistant Manager at Mitsubishi Corporation, Dhaka.

They shared personal experiences, highlighting the evolution and growing impact of women in various sectors. The panelists observed that women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh are thriving and making significant contributions alongside their male counterparts.

They underscored the need for employment services that support women in the workplace such as maternity leaves and day cares and also emphasized the need for changing gender-biased mindsets and out social conditioning, at the household, professional and public spheres.

Uzma Chowdhury highlighted good industry practices from Pran-RFL in ensuring safety, security and maternity leave for women.

The performance of women is ahead of men employees in many sections. She add that maternity leave and daycare facilities have ensured women employees’ dedication to serve the company

Takahashi Naoki acknowledged Bangladesh’s remarkable achievements in women’s employment and empowerment.

Japan believes that women empowerment and opportunities in employment are very essential for the progress of a country, Naoki said.

He also mentioned Japan is working for the Rohingya and their wellbeing along with Bangladesh.