About 61% of female workers in the readymade garments (RMG) sector have no control over their earned income, a survey revealed. The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem), in partnership with Microfinance Opportunities (MFO), recently conducted the survey based on 10,367 worker interviews. The survey report said that only 39% of female workers in the sector had freedom to do whatever they wanted with their monthly income. It also found that decision makers for spending money in workers’ families had changed in 4% cases since last April due to the Covid-19 pandemic, depending on their job situation.The study, however, said that not even all male workers were independent in managing their income. At least 28% fail to spend their salaries on their own, it added. The report mentioned that female apparel workers also got less chance to make any other financial decisions in their families, compared to their male counterparts. Still, in a majority of cases, they (female workers) needed to consult other family or household members, the survey said. It found that female workers also do not have the freedom to decide about savings from their earnings. When asked who makes the decisions on savings, only 30% of women said they could make savings decisions. Sanem conducted the survey on workers employed in different factories in Chittagong, Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar. The survey tried to assess how much control a female worker has over the money she earns, how spending and saving decisions are made, as well as how these varied by gender.
