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The representation of women in upper echelons or decision-making positions in the country’s commercial banks is very insignificant due to cultural barriers, family responsibilities, discrimination in the hiring process and harassment in workplaces.
According to the information available on the banks’ web sites, there are a few women holding senior vice-president positions or higher in the banks’ management.
The Bangladesh Bank’s gender equality report for January-June of 2022 showed that the women’s representation in top management positions in the commercial banks in Bangladesh was as low as 9.55 per cent.
Only 8.91 per cent of the women bank officials was aged over 50 years while 21.5 per cent of them aged below 30 years, the BB report said.
The BB report said 15.83 per cent of the women was at the mid-level positions and 16.86 per cent of them was the at entry-level position.
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A study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management said that only 13 per cent of the total employees in the commercial banks was women, and among them, only 3 per cent was in top management positions.
Mehruba Reza, vice-president and head of the women’s banking segment of BRAC Bank Limited, said that there were several factors that contributed to the underrepresentation of women in top management or decision-making positions in the commercial banks in Bangladesh.
Many women have to bear family responsibilities, including taking care of their children, which makes it difficult for them to continue working in the banking sector, she said.
The lack of support for working mothers, such as safe transport and long maternity leave, also creates additional obstacles for women to pursuing a career in banking, she said.
Mehruba observed that providing safe transport, day-care facilities for children, eradicating harassment issues, and allowing sufficient maternity leave could encourage more women to pursue careers in the banking sector, particularly in top management or decision-making positions.
While the number of women employees in the banking sector has increased over the years, women are still underrepresented in top management positions, according to the BB report.
The BB study also found that the women’s representation in the board of directors of the commercial banks accounted for only 6 per cent.
Experts said that cultural barriers, family responsibilities, discrimination in the hiring process, limited access to flexible working arrangements, inadequate workplace safety and protection measures, and harassment in the workplace were the key reasons for the women’s underrepresentation in top management positions in banks.
Women in Bangladesh also face unequal pay and benefits compared with their male counterparts, they said.
Many people still believe that the women’s primary role is to take care of home and family, which can limit their opportunities to pursue careers in the banking sector.
Women face discrimination during the hiring process, and their performance and potential may not be recognised or rewarded to the same extent as their male colleagues, the experts said.
While some commercial banks have introduced gender-sensitive policies and practices, such as family-friendly work arrangements and mentorship programmes, more initiatives need to be taken to ensure that women have equal opportunities to pursue careers in the banking sector, they said.
Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank, said that the banking sector in Bangladesh saw a good presence of women at the entry level.
However, the number of women declines after a certain level, especially when the female staff get married and have children, he said.
The banking jobs now involve versatile duties that require employees to be mobile and are not just confined to their desks, he said.
Mahbubur said, ‘Cultural barriers and family mindsets have not changed much, and many people still believe that women should prioritise taking care of their families over their careers.’
The lack of safe transport and long-leave policies are other barriers for women who are looking to build a career in the banking sector, he said.
Sexual harassment could also be a factor, he added.
The central bank has set a target of increasing the representation of women in the banking sector to 30 per cent by 2024, and the government has enacted laws and policies to ensure workplace safety and protection for women employees in the banking sector.
However, the scenario of gender diversity in banks in Bangladesh has not improved.
The BB’s latest half-yearly report showed that the number of women officials in the banking sector reached 31,548, slightly higher than 16 per cent of the total manpower, at the end of June 2022. The number was 29,513 in June 2021.
The report showed that the foreign banks operating in Bangladesh had the highest number of women officials, with 25.94 per cent or 984 officials of their workforce being women.
Private commercial banks, state-owned commercial banks and specialised banks had 19.21 per cent (20,692), 16.48 per cent (8,139) and 14.27 per cent (1,733) women officials respectively of their workforce.
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