Bangladesh leads the world

It is cause for much elation and pride that Bangladesh’s gender wage gap is the lowest on the planet, and we are the only country where the factor-weighted hourly gender pay gap is positive.

In a report by the International Labour Organization titled “Global Wage Report 2018,” Bangladesh came in at an incredible 2.2%, against the world average of 21.2%. In contrast, Pakistan topped the gap chart at 43.8%.

Last year, the Gender Gap Index also ranked Bangladesh first among South Asian countries for gender equality, but being the standard bearer for the whole world, on a metric as crucial for development and progress as gender wage gap, is truly unprecedented for Bangladesh.

Our workforce in the agriculture and RMG sectors, mostly powered by women, is now being complemented by more and more women in the public and private sectors, and there is genuine hope and aspiration that we will continue to move forward in this aspect.

Now that we have done so well in terms of wage-gap, it is time to pay attention to other areas in which we can make a few improvements, like the safety and well-being of women in public spaces, a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment in workplaces, and a change in negative attitudes towards women.

Having the lowest gender pay gap is an achievement we should all be proud of -- it shows that we indeed have what it takes to do better in other indicators as well.