When a young mother is forced to quit her job due to the absence of proper childcare facilities—or when a student gives up her education to raise a child—the loss is not only personal. It is a national loss: of talent, productivity, and progress.

To change this reality, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is planning to make women-friendly workplaces and childcare facilities a core part of the country’s economic strategy. Party policymakers say sustainable development in Bangladesh is impossible without ensuring greater participation of women in the workforce.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Labour Force Survey 2024, 80 percent of men in the country are employed compared to only 43 percent of women.
BNP leaders point out that this gap is not just a statistic—it is a warning that Bangladesh continues to leave behind more than half of its talent and potential.

To increase women’s participation in the labor market, the BNP plans to make childcare an essential component of the nation’s economic infrastructure. The proposed measures include:

Establishing daycare centers in all public universities;

Introducing a national plan to gradually set up daycare facilities in government offices;

Making childcare services mandatory in large private institutions and industrial factories;

Offering tax incentives and CSR credits to employers who provide childcare support; and

Implementing a training and certification program for caregivers under the standards of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

BNP argues that such reforms would not only increase women’s employment but also boost household income and strengthen the financial stability of the growing middle class. These changes could contribute up to 1 percent growth in the national GDP, according to the party’s projection.

In Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector, nearly two-thirds of workers are women. Introducing childcare support in factories could therefore have a significant impact—improving working conditions, reducing employee turnover, and benefiting companies as well.
Studies by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have found that factories with childcare facilities experience lower absenteeism and higher productivity, often recovering the investment costs within a year.

BNP emphasizes that childcare should not be seen as an act of charity but as a vital social and economic infrastructure. “Just as roads connect markets, daycare centers connect women to success in the workplace,” the party said in its statement.

Vision 2034: An Inclusive Trillion-Dollar Economy

According to the BNP’s vision, the goal is to transform Bangladesh into an inclusive trillion-dollar economy by 2034, where every citizen—especially women—can contribute with pride to the nation’s growth.

The party believes that empowering women through childcare, equal pay, and workplace safety is not only a matter of justice but also a strategic economic decision.

BNP has made it clear: it envisions a Bangladesh where no woman has to choose between her family and her future—a nation where every working mother and every student enjoys the freedom to succeed, and where care and cooperation are recognized as the foundation of national progress.