Staff correspondent :<\/p>\n
In a move to unite leading businesses and spur greater action on women\u2019s employment across the industries in the private sector, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with European Union funded program Accelerating Climate Smart & Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS), and the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), launched a flagship network \u2018Partnership for Women\u2019s Employment: The Business of Equity\u2019.<\/p>\n
The two-year partnership will act as a catalyst for economic growth and inclusion, helping empower women across Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
Women comprise one-third of the country\u2019s workforce, with only 4 percent of businesses having women in top management. Care responsibilities, access to jobs, mobility limitations, and social norms are key barriers to women\u2019s economic participation.<\/p>\n
Closing these gender gaps can add up to $30 billion to Bangladesh\u2019s gross domestic product (GDP). \u201cThe business case for increasing women\u2019s participation in the workforce is irrefutable. Inclusive businesses have better financial performance, talent retention, reputation, and investor confidence,\u201d Zareen Tasnim, Program Lead, Partnership for Women\u2019s Employment, IFC, Bangladesh said today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis partnership \u2013 a first of its kind in Bangladesh \u2013 will help equip businesses with practical knowhow on closing corporate gender gaps while contributing to the companies\u2019 bottom line, productivity, and growth, leading the way for a thriving private-sector anchored in equity and inclusion.\u201d added Tasnim.<\/p>\n
Global research indicates that women\u2019s economic participation in the private sector yields better financial results, greater innovation, and push for improved company culture.<\/p>\n
For instance, companies with gender diverse boards generate over 50 percent higher return on equity and over 65 percent higher return on investment. This initiative will also focus on creating a respectful and supportive workplace, particularly for working parents, and increasing women’s presence in the green economy, aligning with Bangladesh\u2019s focus on climate sustainability and a just transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe European Union is dedicated to advancing gender equality, promoting women\u2019s economic empowerment and opportunities for women and together, we are building an inclusive and equitable environment for all,\u201d said Charles Whiteley, Ambassador & Head of the Delegation, EU Delegation to Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Partnership for Women\u2019s Employment aims to boost women participation by fostering their advancement and retention and engage in actively dismantling gender-specific economic barriers by cultivating respectful work places.\u201d added Whiteley.<\/p>\n
Leading companies including AkijBashir Group, Bata Bangladesh, BRAC Bank, City Bank, DBL Group, Eastern Bank, Energypac Electronics, Fakir Knitwear\u2019s, IDCOL, IPDC, Mutual Trust Bank, PRAN Group, Prime Bank, Singer, Standard Group and Urmi Group, with a combined workforce of over 149,000 employees have already joined the partnership.<\/p>\n
Participating businesses range from financial services, fast-moving consumer goods, electronics, agribusiness, to textile and apparels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Partnership for Women\u2019s Employment will foster commitment, mutual learning and action by the companies around a variety of employer-supported strategies, policies and practices to boost women’s participation in Bangladesh\u2019s private sector,\u201d said Kamran T. Rahman, President from the MCCI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will present an opportunity to build on the country\u2019s growth and success story and unlock the immense potential of women in the workforce, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future.\u201d added Kamran.<\/p>\n
IFC works to reduce gaps between men and women in the private sector, enabling companies and economies to improve their performance. Various IFC initiatives across the globe \u2013 including in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands \u2013 on investing in women\u2019s employment opportunities have proven to be an effective business strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff correspondent : In a move to unite leading businesses and spur greater action on women\u2019s employment across the industries in the private sector, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with European Union funded program Accelerating Climate Smart & Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS), and the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), launched a flagship network \u2018Partnership for Women\u2019s Employment: The Business of Equity\u2019. The two-year partnership will act as a catalyst for economic growth and inclusion, helping empower women across Bangladesh. Women comprise one-third of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_5980380192037842_108390337697511":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4966,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4964\/revisions\/4966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyenglishtimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}