Plights of Women Construction Workers in Bangladesh

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue IX, September 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Plights of Women Construction Workers in Bangladesh

Md. Ashraful Alam
Associate Professor, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract: The construction industry plays an important role in the economic development of a country like Bangladesh. In recent years, the sector has experienced considerable growth, resulting in the creation of numerous jobs. Currently, men and women are working in this sector, which is a very favorable aspect. However, construction workers in Bangladesh, particularly women workers, are exposed to hazardous conditions on many construction sites and face a variety of challenges, including low wages or wage discrimination, a lack of safety, and abuse. Keeping this in mind, the study was conducted to look into the plight of women construction workers highlighting the issues they encountered at work. Following the qualitative study method data were collected from 10 women workers through in-depth case interviews. The study found that most of the women working in the construction sector are untrained and employed as helpers. They are not given any appointment letters, everything is determined verbally. They are facing discrimination and injustice in various ways such as long working hours, lower wages than the male workers, lack of safety measures, medical care facilities, etc. In addition, male coworkers and superiors have also exposed them to various sorts of mental and even sexual harassment. It is expected that the findings of this study would help in understanding at least some of the major issues regarding their plight, as well as establishing and protecting the human rights of women construction workers.

Keywords: Construction Industry, Occupational safety, Wages, Women workers, Abuse

I. INTRODUCTION

The construction industry is one of the biggest and fast-growing industries in the world(Jamal, 2015). It is an integral part of infrastructure and economic development of a country(Barnabas et al., 2009). The sector is advancing rapidly with the continuation of modernization and industrialization. Smaller towns and cities are becoming more urbanized, which has boosted the construction industry. Globally it is estimated that construction labor forms 7.5 percent of the total labor force (Shah & Tiwari, 2010). It establishes backward and forwards links with different economic sectors(Ahmed et al., 2018). Bangladesh is a developing country in South Asia where the construction industry has been rapidly expanding in recent years though it began to expand around 1990 (Ahmed, 2014).

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