Workplace discrimination against women is generally a pressing issue in Bangladesh, there is little research to show discrimination against pregnant women here
Nearly three-quarter of pregnant women and new mothers are discriminated in the workplace, a UK government research has found.
The research, although conducted only across Britain, is important in the context of rising global conversations regarding motherhood and the workplace – with people being chastise – or praised – for breastfeeding while at work, and in public places.
The UK government-commissioned research says pregnancy discrimination has risen significantly since 2005, when 45% of women said they had experienced such discrimination.
While workplace discrimination against women is generally a pressing issue in Bangladesh, there is little research to show discrimination against pregnant women here. However, researchers suggest that while there is overall respect for a pregnant working woman, there are huge structural changes that need to be made.
“While I’ve not really seen sexual harassment or outright discrimination against pregnant women in the development organisations, there are huge structural problems,” says Shahana Siddiqui, a development practitioner for close to 15 years.
Many – if not most – non-government organisations and research institutes make the discrimination between the different types (permanent vs contractual) of contracts they offer, says Siddiqui. While most people are given contractual offers, this offer has no benefits for a pregnant woman – whether it’s maternity leave or any other kinds of benefits.
In such cases, says Siddiqui, there’s a high drop out rate of women who are pregnant.
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“Most of the time, pregnant women in the development sector leave their jobs when in contract – or they take an unpaid leave,” she says.
Siddiqui’s comments are further validated by research reports that show that a large number of women who are willing to work don’t enroll in the workforce due to pregnancy.
In a 2014 research by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), along with Manusher Jonno Foundation, it was shown that 40% women cite pregnancy as a reason for not doing paid jobs although they would like to.
This not only puts a dent on the economy – given how much we’re losing with such a high percentage of women not working – but also further enhances traditional cultural barriers for women in the workforce.
While the issues in the urban areas are mostly structural, it may be different for field workers, many of whom are expected to work in the field, often in unfavourable circumstances, says Siddiqui.
While this may not count as harassment or discrimination per se, it definitely amounts to a form of neglect, given women require a lot of care during pregnancy.
Although the research was conducted in the UK, it stands relevant even in the Bangladeshi context, where the research on workplace discrimination against women very much exists on a structural, if not cultural, level. With more and more women joining the workforce across all classes – this is a discourse that needs to start in our society.
Collected from Dhaka Tribune
