Female agri workers need technological skills
Female workers in agricultural sector need to be trained technological skills, which can help them get fair wage, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.
People think that male labours work more than their female counterparts, and therefore, the former receives better pay, they said.
But in reality female workers do almost the same, they said, stressing the need for a change in people's mindset.
The remarks were made at the roundtable organised by Bangla daily Prothom Alo in association with Care Bangladesh at the newspaper's office in the capital.
Kakuly Tanvin, team leader of a Care project, said women need to be skilled in using modern agricultural tools so that they do not lag behind their male counterparts.
Quoting a recent study, Anowarul Haq, director of Extreme Rural Poverty Programme of Care, said the female labours do around 13 types of work during agricultural production whereas males do 11 types. But in approximately 54 percent cases, female workers get lower wage than the male ones, Anowarul said.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue, said work pattern of male and female workers varies due to their physical structure, and in a few cases, males can work better.
Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque said wage discrimination exists in a few sectors, but the government is working on it.
Shirin Akter, a member of the parliament; Abdul Quayum, associate editor of Prothom Alo; Rakhi Das Purkayastha, joint general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad; and Wais Kabir, executive director of Krishi Gobeshona Foundation, also spoke.
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