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Report

On

Socio-Economic condition of female garment workers in Dhaka city- an

empirical study

Course Title: Research Methods

Course code: BBA 3322

Section: A

Semester: SPRING 2012Submitted To: Md. Deluar jahan Moloy

Lecturer

Department of Business Administration

Northern University Bangladesh

Submitted By:

S.M.Samiul BBA 090150504Kazy saad al jubayer BBA 090150521Md. Alamin BBA 090203132MD. shakir hossain Emon BBA 080202740

Date of submission: April 13,2012

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Letter of Transmittal

April 13,2012Md. Deluar jahan Moloy

Lecturer

Department of Business Administration

Northern university, Bangladesh.

Sub: Submission of report on socio-Economic condition of female garment

workers in Dhaka city.

Dear Sir,

In accordance to your advice to us for preparing a report on Socio-Economiccondition of female Garment workers in Dhaka city we would like to inform you thatwe have prepared this report. In preparing this report, we have followed yourguidelines. As per your direction, we have added a lot of information for thementioned topic. From this report we have achieved a lot of basic knowledge and wethink ourselves that it will help us a lot in our future career. We sincerely hope thisreport will fulfill the requirements that suggested by you under the course ResearchMethods (BBA 3322). We truly appreciated this report & we hope it will be acceptedby you.

If you have any question after reading this report, let us know.

Sincerely yours,

Maksudus Zaman Lizen

Md.zahedur Rahman

Md. Shoaib Hossain

S. M. Samiul

Zerin Tasneem Zeem

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AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeenntt

At first, we would like to express our gratitude to almighty Allah for enabling

us the strength and opportunity to complete the report within the schedule time

successfully.

At the very first we wish to tender our sincere gratitude and deep indebtedness

to Md. Deluar jahan Moloy, Lecturer, Department of Business Administration,

Northern University Bangladesh forhis valuable advice and guidance. Without

his support it would have been very difficult for us to complete this report.

We are also very grateful to the female garment workers in Saharia/ gildan

industries ltd. and Alpha composite towels ltd. We wish to express our gratitude

to all of them who have supported us to prepare this report.

Finally, we are grateful to our University Northern University Bangladesh for

giving us an opportunity for taking Higher education.

Thanks By

Group Members

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Table of content

Serial

no.

TITLE Pag

eno.

01 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Chapter

-01

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Origin of the report

1.3. Objective of the study

1.4. Research Hypothesis

1.5. Methodology

1.5.1. Source of data

1.5.2. Primary sources

1.5.3. Secondary sources

1.6.. Limitations of the study

Chapter

- 02

Social Condition

2.O. Age and Marital condition

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2.1. Children and Education Level

2.2.WORKING POSITION &TIME

2.3.Accommodation pattern

2.4.Gender discrimination

2.5.Work environment

Chapter

-03

Economic Condition

3.0. Monthly salary

3.1.Salary Satisfactions3.2. Payment Time

3.3. Discriminations in salary payment

Recommendations

Conclusion

Appendix

References

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EExxeeccuuttiivvee ssuummmmeerryy

Bangladesh is an over populated country where it is very much difficult to ensure

all the basic facilities. However, this country is said to be developing, considering

few important sector. Ready made garments are one of them. Every year the

highest revenue is coming from this sector. Since the early 1980s an export-

oriented garments industry has mushroomed in Bangladesh, with women workers

constituting a significant proportion of its wage labor force. The women worker

working in RMG sector most does not pay according to the law and exploiting

them a lot by bound them to work over the working time. Most of them are coming

from poor family, broken family and the family living under poverty line. As a

result they have no other option to turn back to their family & tolerate the

apprehension. In work sometimes they face gender discrimination and teasing.

Most of the industries they do not get residential facilities. The women working in

garments have a little knowledge of education & they join in this sector at very

early age. The employment of young women in labor-intensive factory production

is seen as arising from their weak economic and social position. Wages for womenare lower because women are seen as supplementary wage earners in the

household and because they lack the support of labor organizations. This report

attempted to assess overall social condition and economic position of female

garment workers in Dhaka city and survey is made from different samples in

Dhaka city to get some different opinion regarding the objectives.

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IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

Since the early 1980s an export-oriented garments industry has mushroomed in

Bangladesh, with women workers constituting a significant proportion of its wage

labor force. Perhaps the most notable feature of this industry is its heavy use of

women workers; an estimated 70-80 per cent of those employed in the industry are

women (Majumdar and Chaudhuri, 1994). In explaining the reasons for the

feminized wage labor force, considerable attention has been paid to the

motivations of employers: the lower cost of young women workers, and their

assumed, obedience and quickness in comparison to men. Conventional

understandings of womens entry into wage employment in Bangladesh have

emphasized the role played by extreme poverty and the related dynamic of women

unemployment and abandonment factors. The employment of young women in

labor-intensive factory production is seen as arising from their weak economic and

social position. Wages for women are lower because women are seen as

supplementary wage earners in the household and because they lack the support of

labor organizations. Women are also perceived as quiet and willing to spend long

hours doing. Women work long hours for apparently low wages, the terms and

conditions of their work are better than most of their existing alternatives.

Although income may be pooled, women retain some personal control over it. By

working in a factory outside the home, women earn a certain degree of freedom

from their families and learn no familial social roles. To reduce labor costs,

manufacturers employ underage women. Manufacturers are motivated to locate

their businesses in countries where child-labor laws are not enforced. Therefore,

such countries have a comparative advantage over settings where manufacturers

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are actively prohibited from using child labor. This is very much viewed in this

research where most of the female workers are not adult. Although they are

working but getting a very low wage which is no enough to maintain their

livelihood. They lead a very miserable life. This report attempted to assess overall

social condition and economic position of female garment workers in Dhaka city.

1.2. Objectives of the Research:

General objectives:

To assess the socio-economic condition of female workers employed in garment

sector in Dhaka city.

Specific objectives:

To identify the factor that affects the socio-economic conditions of the

female garments.

To assess the social condition as well as economic position of the female

garment workers in Dhaka city.

To assess the number of female working in garments industries.

To recommend measures to be taken for improving the socio-economic

condition of female garment workers in Bangladesh.

1.3. Research Hypothesis:

The main hypothesis of this research is to carry out the socio-economic condition

of female garments worker and to recommend the factors which accelerate their

condition

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1.4. Methodology:

This report has been prepared on the basis of Personal interview method. In the

report we were conducted in depth interview of the different industries female

workers in different area. The interviews for the study were guided by the mixer of

close ended and open ended questions. The sample of women garment workers

were collected from two different sources/places.

1.4.1. Source of data:

To make the report more meaningful and presentable, two sources of data and

information has been used-

1.4.2. Primary sources

Practical Interview

Direct Discussion

Direct opinion

1.4.3. Secondary sources

Reviewing Relevant literature

Visiting website

Reading books

Sources

of Data

Primary DataSecondary

Data

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Journals

Newspaper

1.5. Limitations of the study

We had more limitations for complete this report these are follows:

Lack of time

Long Distance between respondent & us.

Load shading

Lack of highly speed Lab facilities

Intensive cost of data collection

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Social condition

Analyses of womens entry into wage employment in Bangladesh often emphasize

the role played by extreme poverty and the related dynamic of male unemployment

and desertion in driving women into the wage labor market. Since the 1970s,

growing numbers of rural women in Bangladesh have sought wage employment in

the areas of agricultural labor, as well as earth-cutting, brick-breaking, construction

and road maintenance. Mahmud(1992) notes that two groups of women have been

particularly likely to engage in these jobs: women in low-income male-headed

households, and women heads of household. Thus impoverishment and the

absence of a male breadwinner are two characteristics of the wage-seeking women.

An emphasis on these push. factors is in many ways consonant with the notion that

cultural barriers have been critical in deterring womens wage employment. That

is, it is only under the tremendous pressures of extreme poverty that woman violate

cultural proscriptions against their involvement in paid employment, particularly in

jobs that require them to be in male-Dominated public spaces.

2.0. Age and Marital Status

The majority of the workers in the sample are between the ages of 10 and 20 years,

as shown by table 1, which is the height percentage of near 47 percentages. We can

see, there is a lower percentage which represents women having their age between

20-30 years. And there is medium percentage which represents the women of age

above 30 years.

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It can be said from the table, that female get admitted in this sector at a very early

age.

Table: 1 How old are You?

years Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid 10-20 14 46.7 46.7 46.7

20-30 7 23.3 23.3 70.0

Above

30

9 30.0 30.0 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Marital status?

Frequenc

y Percent

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid Unmarrie

d12 40.0 40.0 40.0

Married 17 56.7 56.7 96.7

widow 1 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table2

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Most of the female in the sample are married. Here, 17 out of 30 female are

married, a only one person is widow.

2.1. Children and Education Level

How many children you have?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid None 3 10.0 16.7 16.7

1-2 7 23.3 38.9 55.6

3-4 7 23.3 38.9 94.4

Above 4 1 3.3 5.6 100.0

Total 18 60.0 100.0

Unmarrie

d

12 40.0

Total 30 100.0

Table: 3

In this sample, a good number of female workers who are unmarried and their

percentage are 40. Here we see there are 7 women who have more than 3 children

and there are 7 women who have more than 1 child. There are 3 female workers

who are married but having no children.

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Pie chart: 1

Among the sample there is a huge amount of female who are in the blue color.

Here, blue color indicates who can sign their name and up to primary level. Green

color indicates female entered in to the secondary level, yellow color indicates the

female who have read in secondary and red is for university level.

2.2. Working position

What is your position?

Frequen

cy Percent

Valid

Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid helper 9 30.0 30.0 30.0

operator 13 43.3 43.3 73.3

general

stuff6 20.0 20.0 93.3

above 2 6.7 6.7 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table: 4

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From this sample we can understand that there are 13 operators and 9 helpers. On

the other hand there are two stuffs.

How many years you are working?

Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid 1-2 Years 10 33.3 33.3 33.3

2-3 6 20.0 20.0 53.3

3-5 7 23.3 23.3 76.7

more than 5

years7 23.3 23.3 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table: 5

The working time varying on age difference. Here about 34 % among sample

working only 1-2 years. There are 7 female who are working more than five years

and between 3-5 years.

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2.3 Accommodations

Here, we can se a high rise up to 20 is the female who live in rented house. It is to

be said that all the married female live in rented house may with their husband of

siblings who also work in garments. That means all of them are coming from

outside. There is only one who has own house and working as a operator. Rests of

them are live in Mesh.

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To sum up, the collective profile of the workers that emerges is of a young

group of women, large numbers of whom are married. On average, they have

had some primary education, although some have no education (just can sing

their name) and some have secondary-level education. There are two who

have the higher education and work as an office administrator. The low

number of women with more than primary education may be a reflection of

the dominance of operators and helpers in the sample, rather than jobs

requiring a higher level of education, such as quality inspector or supervisor.

Most of the women are getting early marriage. Sometimes it may be below the

age of adulthood. They do not residential facilities in work place and have to

arrange their resident in a low salary. Some points have arrived that they

cant maintain their livelihood in the salary they get. They do not any kind of

government help and sometimes face the illegal behavior by other men

workers. Many of them live with their family who has good income. But the

main things that must consider all of them work more than eight hours, which

breaks the rules of law. Often they face gender discrimination, teasing and

mental punishment by the supervisors.

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Economic Condition

Because the primary motivation for seeking a job is to earn a living, salary

histories are an important part of the workers narratives. Their views of the

prospects for economic mobility, management of income, propensity to save, and

patterns of expenditure provide important insights into their lives. Most garment

factories have several categories of workers: entry-level workers are called helpers

or apprentices; helpers capable of reading the English alphabet and numerals are

promoted to become operators, at which point they learn to run machines; some

workers with secondary education may occasionally graduate to the roles of line

chiefs or supervisors. Although the ratio of helpers to operators varies, in a typical

factory, it is about one helper to two operators. The number of senior posts is very

limited. For example, a factory of 300 workers will have fewer than 20 supervisory

posts. Nevertheless, because some supervisors start as helpers, a helper may aspire

to become a supervisor. Salary and incentive structures are similar across

factories. In the quantitative survey, the mean basic monthly wage of helpers was

2000 taka (about US$30) and that of operators was Tk.3600 (about $50). However,

There is an irregularity in payment of overtime rather than the proportion who did

not work overtime. Among those who do receive overtime earnings, the mean for

helpers is Tk.223 ($5) and for operators, Tk.407 ($9) per month.

Within an occupational category, variation in wages can be substantial, depending

on seniority and performance. Most workers describe relatively rapid wage

increases in the first year of work. Several young women expressed this prospect

of mobility as an important positive aspect of their work experience and one that is

not a characteristic of any other potential work opportunities

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3.0. Monthly Salary

What is your salary?

Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid below Tk

.30006 20.0 20.0 20.0

3000-5000 8 26.7 26.7 46.7

5000-

1000012 40.0 40.0 86.7

above tk.

100004 13.3 13.3 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table: 6

The higher respondent position 12 indicates the operator who are working more

than 3-4 years and earning over Tk. 5000. A lower sample rate 4 indicates the

office stuff and production basis workers who are getting over ten thousands taka.

And entry level workers referred as helper getting below 3000 taka.

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3.1. Salary Satisfactions

Are you satisfy with salary?

Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid yes 18 60.0 60.0 60.0

No 12 40.0 40.0 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table: 7

Maximum of the female garments worker are not well educated. As a result they

do not know the exact salary of their work. So most of them are satisfied with their

salary as they think this salary is proper.

3.2. Salary in time

Do you get salary in time?

Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid yes 23 76.7 76.7 76.7

No 6 20.0 20.0 96.7

3 1 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table: 8

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In terms of salary payment the industry that we have surveyed is very punctual and

they pay salary in due time. Here 23 of the respondent answered positive and only

6 answered negative.

3.3 Salary discrimination

Do you get salary in time?

Frequen

cy

Percen

t

Valid

Percent

Cumulativ

e Percent

Valid yes 23 76.7 76.7 76.7

No 6 20.0 20.0 96.7

3 1 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 30 100.0 100.0

Table 9

Salary payment in terms of male and female there is a big discrimination between

male and female. Among the respondent total 23 answered positively. That means

there is discrimination between male and female in terms of salary. That means

male get more salary rather than women.

Overall, the women employing in the garments sectors for the family survival.

Many of them work for changing their family conditions and make them affluent.

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Recommendation:

By this research we found some problem regarding to the socio economic of

female garment workers in Dhaka city. And to solute this problem some

recommendation has came from the respondent. Those are as follows.

1. To increase the salary of the female workers

2. To make good working environment

3. To establish equal benefits in men and women

4. To ensure good practice of law

5. To give government facilities

Conclusion

An important part of the new socialization young women experience through

working in the formal sector has to do with their negotiating the various ways that

society stigmatizes working women and constrains all women in their quest for

autonomy, while at the same time valuing their economic contributions. The

perception of factory work as technological and sophisticated and, therefore,

superior to most alternatives is an essential part of constructing a positive image to

combat the stigma attached to violating seclusion rules. The labor force is

differentiated in terms of status and earnings, allowing women to set goals of

advancement. Co-workers form important peer groups: for rotating funds, for

traveling to and from work together, and for providing information and evaluation

about alternative opportunities and even about marriage prospects. The presence of

peers has implications for young womens reproductive health, as does the

increased pressure for sexual activity that comes with the greater mobility and

autonomy of women and their interactions with men. However, the overarching

reproductive health implication of working is that it allows women to delay

marriage and, even after marriage, to delay childbirth, because of the high

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opportunity costs to women of leaving the workforce. All these beneficial

outcomes of garment-industry jobs have been experienced largely by women who

started working as teenagers, many of them at ages that would put them into an

illegal category in terms of existing Bangladeshi child-labor laws. However, where

choices are extremely limited, and where education is rarely a realistic option,

factory work in the garment industry may be regarded as a positive opportunity

enabling girls to delay marriage and motherhood and to reduce their reliance on

alternative and more risky forms of employment.

References:Majumdar and Chaudhuri, 1994).

STUDIES IN FAMILY PLANNING 1998

Nazli kibria, 1998

Wikipedia

And some website