Factors Influencing Women’s Leadership in Bangladesh’s Ready Made Garment Industry: A Study of Dhaka and Gazipur Districts

This study investigated the survival strategies adopted by informal traders in Harare in dealing with the effects of Covid-19. A cross-sectional survey was used to gather data from a sample of 144 informal traders drawn through cluster sampling from Magaba, Mupedzanhamo, Glenview 8, Mbare Musika, Seke Road Flyover, Epworth, Mbudzi Roundabout, Coca Cola-Adbernie, Jambanja Market Chitungwiza trading areas. Findings from the exploratory factor analysis revealed that informal sector players adopted strategies such as shift to on-demand and fast moving products, selling within proximity to place of residence, laying off employees, use of mobile money for business transactions, defying lockdown protocols, selling at usual points, use of alternative sources of power for production, shifting all goods back home to avoid rentals, limiting other household expenditure, dipping into savings and profits to fund expenses, borrowing from friends and family, door to door delivery services, disposal of assets, online vending (WhatsApp, Facebook), defaulting repaying all outstanding loan balances, backyard factories and shops and defaulting repaying all rates to city councils. The study recommended that informal businesses that have been severely affected during the COVID-19 crisis can take alternative approaches such as partnership strategies. Through collaboration with other informal businesses, they can recover from financial distress and other effects caused by Covid-19. It was also revealed in this study that the government and other private organisations should start education on running successful businesses during economic shocks and pandemics such as Covid-19 and other outbreaks that are unforeseen.

Covid-19, Informal Sector

1. Afza, S. K. (2008). Factors determining the presence of glass ceiling and influencing women’s career advancement. BRAC University Journal, 1, 85–95. http://hdl.handle.net/10361/408 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akter, W., & Asma Akter. (2017). Factors affecting job satisfaction of working mothers in the readymade garments sector of Bangladesh. Issues in Business Management and Economics, 5(2), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.15739/IBME.17.004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Alfaraidy, H. A. (2021). Exploring employed women’s perceptions of leadership in the light of a leadership program in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0028 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bullough, A., & de Luque, M. S. (2015). Developing women leaders through entrepreneurship education and training. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(2), 250–270. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2012.0169 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Cardella, G., Hernández-Sánchez, B. R., & Sánchez-García, J. C. (2020). Women entrepreneurship: A systematic review to outline the boundaries of scientific literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1557. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01557 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Das, D. S. (2022). Bangladesh’s emergence as a ready-made garment export leader: An examination of competitive advantages. International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, 17, 162–174. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Das, I. S., & Aman, S. (2021). Ready-made garments industry and foreign exchange earnings of Bangladesh. Journal of Global Business Studies. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Delfgaauw, J., & Dur, R. (2013). Tournament incentives in the field: Gender differences in the workplace. Journal of Labor Economics, 31(2), 305–326. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Dunst, C. J., Bruder, M. B., & Hamby, D. W. (2015). Meta-synthesis of in-service professional development research. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(12), 1731–1744. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2015.2306 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Esmer, Y., & Dayioglu, M. (2017). Entrepreneurial leadership: A theoretical framework. Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.332570 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Fagenson, E. A. (1990). At the heart of women in management research. Journal of Business Ethics, 9, 267–274. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: Rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1–2), 1–12. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Hilal, H. (2015). Perceptions towards female leadership in Malaysia. Journal of Modern Education Review, 5(5), 517–525. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Hisrich, R. D., Peters, M. P., & Shepherd, D. A. (2016). Foundations of entrepreneurial management. Springer. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Hoque, M., & Islam, N. (2022). Leadership behaviors of women entrepreneurs in the SME sector of Bangladesh. Businesses, 2(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses2020016 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Hoque, O. N. (2021). Factors influencing women leadership: Evidence from Barishal district in Bangladesh. International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science, 9(1), 17–24. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Islam, A. M., & Jantan, A. H. (2017). Factors affecting females’ participation in leadership positions in the RMG industry of Bangladesh. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 7(10). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Islam, A. J. (n.d.). Career barriers for female employees in the ready-made garments industry of Bangladesh. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3414583 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Kabeer, N., & Mahmud, S. (2003). Globalization, gender and poverty: Bangladeshi women workers in export and local markets. Journal of International Development, 16, 93–109. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Macchiavello, R., & Miquel-Florensa, J. (2014). Managerial capital and productivity: Evidence from a training program in the Bangladeshi garment sector. Journal of Development Economics, 110, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Rahman, M. (2020). Growth trajectory and developmental impact of the ready-made garments industry in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh’s economic and social progress (pp. 267–297). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1683-2_9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Singh, V., & Terjesen, S. (2008). Female presence on corporate boards: A multi-country study. Journal of Business Ethics, 83, 55–63. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Swazan, I. S. (2022). Bangladesh’s emergence as a ready-made garment export hub. International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, 17, 162–174. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Uddin, M. (2021). Women leadership and economic growth in developing economies. Asian Journal of Business and Economics. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Impact of Ownership Structure on Dividend Payout Policy of Listed Plantation Companies in Sri Lanka
• Urban Sustainability in North-East India: A Study through the lens of NER-SDG index
• Performance Assessment of Predictive Forecasting Techniques for Enhancing Hospital Supply Chain Efficiency in Healthcare Logistics
• The Fractured Self in Julian Barnes' Postmodern Fiction: Identity Crisis and Deflation in Metroland and the Sense of an Ending
• Impact of Flood on the Employment, Labour Productivity and Migration of Agricultural Labour in North Bihar