Bangladeshi Housewives Turning into Garment workers and Labor Activists - Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: The aim of this thesis has been to analyze the nature of the employment opportunities for poor women in the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh, and the possibilities for these female garment workers to participate as members in labor unions. Through the use of the dual labor market theory, it attempts to shed light on the underlying factors of the rapid increase of female workers, named the ‘feminization of labor', to the garment industry. When analyzing the negative and positive aspects of women’s work in the garment industry, feminist theories have been utilized. The thesis has also discussed the organizational hinders that garment workers face when participating in labor union activities. With the help of existent literature and theories of unionization, I have made an interpretation of the current patterns of unionization in today’s Bangladesh. The findings point at that the conditions for female workers are mainly exploitative, with the lowest salary levels in the world. The labor unions in the garment industry are weak, due to political interference and strict organizational legislation. The forum of labor unions is male-dominated and often neglects the interests of its female members.