The industry has made women more visible in the labour market and empowered in society. The emergence of the garment industry as a major employer of women workers has seen wider challenges against societal restrictions for women in Bangladesh. Over the last ten years, the early morning commute in Bangladesh’s major cities – Dhaka and Chattogram – has seen thousands of women making their way to work in garment factories (Rahman, 2014).

In recent years, however, the proportion of women workers in the sector has steadily declined. Women no longer comprise 80% of the labour force in the RMG sector – the most recent estimates show this figure is now less than 66%. These changes have significant implications for women’s economic empowerment, as well as the well-being of their families and communities. Jobs in garment factories not only afford women workers financial security but also a sense of security for the future. This is changing, and there is a need to understand why.