From participation to leadership: Making workplaces work for women in Bangladesh

On 30 August 2026, UN Women Bangladesh, in collaboration with AYAT Care, brought together 24 participants for a National Workshop on the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) – a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact that helps businesses advance gender equality across the workplace, marketplace and community.

For many women in Bangladesh, getting into the workforce is a challenge, and obtaining decision-making roles is even harder. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, only 20.7 per cent of women in Bangladesh participate in the labour force, compared to 79 per cent of men – and just 0.24 per cent of employed women are managers, compared to 1.84 per cent of men.

For more women to enter and progress into leadership roles, it is imperative that structural barriers affecting their recruitment, retention and advancement are addressed. This requires more than individual initiative; it calls for changes in workplace policies, practices and culture.

At the National Workshop, the discussion moved beyond the question of how to bring more women into the workforce to focus on practical changes businesses can make to create more gender-responsive and inclusive workplaces. This is where the WEPs can play an important role

What change looks like in practice

“Creating opportunities for women is not just about increasing the number of women in the workplace. It is about creating an environment where they can enter, remain, grow and lead,” said Nusrat Feroz Aman, Co-Founder and CEO of AYAT Care.

AYAT Care’s own experience illustrates what that commitment looks like in practice. Women make up 50 per cent of its workforce; and enabling measures such as six months of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave support retention and promote shared caregiving.

At Drinkwell, Farhana Rahman, Head of HR, shared how flexibility after maternity leave can make a difference in helping women remain in the workforce: “After maternity leave, we sometimes provide employees with the opportunity to work online. In my colleague’s case, I felt she needed that support, so I spoke to my CEO about giving her another two months to work remotely."

For Noshin Tasnim Othoi, Lead – Research and Grants at LEVERnGEAR Ltd., creating an enabling workplace also means recognizing the everyday realities that affect women’s ability to work: “I have very bad menstrual cramps, but I had never really received leave for it before. This is the first time, under a female boss, that I have been able to take leave without having my casual leave deducted.”

The conversation also made a case for gender equality as a business investment, not simply a social commitment.

Samia Tunazzin, Assistant Manager, Sustainability at DBL, shared that a sewing line under female supervisors was 3.33 per cent more efficient, representing around USD 11 million in value. Workers also received more supportive communication, guidance and mentoring, contributing to fewer mistakes and a more positive working environment.

From commitment to action

Bangladesh now has 50 WEPs signatories. The growing number of commitments is an important step; the challenge is ensuring those commitments translate into action inside organizations.

“WEPs are not only a social commitment; they are a strategic tool for business growth. We must invest in women’s leadership, including in non-traditional sectors, and challenge the idea that these spaces belong only to men. We must share knowledge and scale what works, moving from commitment to action,” said Gitanjali Singh, UN Women Representative.

The workshop gave businesses an opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another and identify practical ways to strengthen gender-responsive workplace practices.

Across the discussions, one message emerged clearly: creating more equal workplaces is not only about bringing women through the door. It is about creating an environment that enables them to stay, progress and lead.