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COVID-19

Over 90% of Working Women in Bangladesh Affected by Informal Sector in Pandemic

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A seminar on strengthening pandemic preparedness systems among working women in informal settlements in urban Bangladesh revealed that over 90% of the country's working women are employed in the informal sector, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Women RISE study, led by Dr. Sohana Shafique, used a mixed-methods approach to assess the experiences of working women in Dhaka and Gazipur before and during the pandemic. The study's findings highlighted the vulnerabilities of women in urban slum communities and factories, systemic gaps in urban health services, and the positive outcomes of targeted interventions.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 90% of working women in Bangladesh are employed in the informal sector, which was particularly hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Women RISE study used a mixed-methods approach to assess the experiences of working women in Dhaka and Gazipur before and during the pandemic.
  • The study highlighted the vulnerabilities of women in urban slum communities and factories, as well as systemic gaps in urban health services.
  • Targeted interventions led to notable improvements in knowledge and practice, including a 29.59% increase in knowledge of respiratory infection exposure routes.
  • Preventive practice improved by 15.95% overall, while knowledge of Social Safety Net Program registration increased by 16.26% among informal workers.
  • Dietary diversity among working women increased by 11.58% overall, with formal sector workers seeing a 22.30% rise.
  • Knowledge of gender-based violence (GBV) services rose by 23.43% overall, with a 28.51% increase among informal workers.
  • Dr. Sohana Shafique led the study, which was jointly organised by icddr,b, IEDCR, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and SickKids Canada, with funding support from the IDRC Canada.
  • Key stakeholders brought together to discuss the study findings and their policy implications.

Statistics:

  • 90% of working women in Bangladesh are employed in the informal sector.
  • 29.59% increase in knowledge of respiratory infection exposure routes overall.
  • 15.95% improvement in preventive practice overall.
  • 16.26% increase in knowledge of Social Safety Net Program registration among informal workers.
  • 11.58% increase in dietary diversity among working women overall.
  • 22.30% rise in dietary diversity among formal sector workers.
  • 23.43% increase in knowledge of GBV services overall.
  • 28.51% increase in knowledge of GBV services among informal workers.

Sources:

  • Women RISE study
  • icddr,b
  • Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR)
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • SickKids Canada
  • International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada

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