Foreign banks lead the way in female representation

Nine foreign commercial banks in Bangladesh boast 27.73 percent female representation in their workforce, the highest in the sector, according to a report.

Altogether, the nine banks employ 1,007 females.

Although private commercial banks have the highest number of female officers and employees, standing at 23,162, they account for just 16.37 percent of the total workforce.

The data was revealed last week in the central bank's Gender Equality Report of Banks and Financial Institutions, which is published every six months.

State-owned commercial banks followed with 8,241 female employees, representing 16.76 percent of total staff, the report shows.

In total, 34,368 women were employed in 61 scheduled banks in Bangladesh from January to June this year, which is a 3.04 percent increase compared to the previous six months.

Overall, women account for 13.58 percent of all members of the boards of all banks in Bangladesh

Of total female employees, private commercial banks employ the most, 67.39 percent, followed by state-owned commercial banks at 23.98 percent, according to the report.

The gender ratio in the overall banking sector stood at 16.53 percent for females.

The report also mentioned positive developments in employee benefits for women.

The daycare centre establishment index has increased, while the travel facilities and training programme index has decreased, suggesting improved support for women's professional development and work-life balance.

However, non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) still lag in gender equality, with only 17 percent of their employees being women.

This means that there is one female for every male working in the sector.

There were 1,130 women officers and employees in NBFIs in the January-June period, only 25 more than in the previous six months.

For NBFIs, the daycare centre establishment index remains static. However, the training programme organisation index and the women officer and employee commuting facility after certain working hours index have decreased.

Overall, women account for 13.58 percent of all members of the boards of all banks in Bangladesh.

Foreign commercial banks lead the way here as well, with 18.52 percent of board members being female.

On the other hand, specialised commercial banks do not have a single female representative on their boards.

According to Fahmida Khatun, executive director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, women's participation in the labour market depends on factors such as working conditions, safety, and social and cultural norms.

She said a number of women are working in the banking sector because it is comparatively more organised.

Fahmida attributed factors such as better work environments, lucrative pay, technological adoption and organisational policy to foreign banks having more female employees.

She urged banks to be more proactive in creating pathways so that more qualified women could reach senior and boardroom positions.