Internal Migration and the Condition of Female Construction Workers: A Study in Chittagong City

Abstract

Women workers are found in certain activities traditionally falling within the male domain. This is particularly the case for landless women who largely belong to the hardcore poor group. It indicates growing economic pressure and erosion of familial support and traditional beliefs and norms regarding women's outside work. With the Bangladesh economy's heavy dependence on imports Chittagong has traditionally played a very important role in the trading sectors and industrial centre of the country and also commercial capital of Bangladesh which is going through a massive phase of construction of new structures. The study employed triangulation method as a research strategy. The objective of the study is to know the reasons of internal migrations and conditions of female construction workers of Chittagong city. A good number of rural women are involved at urban construction work in Chittagong city where they faces different harmful condition like as long working hour, less salary, lack of women rights, sexual harassment, food expenditure, low health condition, hard working etc. From this rational discussion this papers examine internal migration and the condition of migrant female construction works in Chittagong city.

Discrimination Against the Internally Migrated Female Workers: A Study on Dhaka City

“…This issue has been regulated in Bangladesh according to the Domestic Servants Registration Ordinance 1961 which is not enough as a safeguard when it comes to the issue of upholding domestic workers' labour rights or human rights (Ashraf, 2015). The female construction workers in urban areas work for low daily wages ranging from taka 200 to 250 while encountering sexual harassment at their workplaces (Hossen et al, 2015). Garment industries also use them as a cheap source of labour (Halim & Kabir, 2005).…”