BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called for building Bangladesh in a way where every working mother and every female student has the freedom to thrive, instead of being forced to leave work or education due to a lack of adequate childcare.
In a post on his verified Facebook page on Thursday, he also said the BNP rejects any regressive idea that limits women’s potential. “Empowering women through childcare, equal pay, and workplace safety is not only fairness – it’s smart economics.”
The BNP leader said his party’s goal is to build a modern, people-centred Bangladesh where no woman has to choose between her family and her future.
“What happens when a young mother leaves her job or a female student drops out because she cannot find adequate childcare? Bangladesh loses out on potential, productivity, and progress,” Tarique said.
Citing the 2024 BBS Labour Force Survey, he said only 43 percent of women participate in the labour market compared to 80 percent of men.
“That gap is warning us that we are leaving more than half of our nation’s talent behind,” he wrote.
Tarique said the BNP is considering launching a nationwide initiative to make childcare a part of Bangladesh’s economic growth strategy.
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He said the plan includes setting up daycare centres in all public universities, gradually establishing daycare centres in government offices, and making it mandatory for large private institutions and factories to provide childcare facilities.
He also mentioned that the initiative would include tax incentives and CSR credits for employers offering childcare, as well as training and certification for caregivers under the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs’ standards.
“This single reform can help raise women’s employment, increase family income, allow the growing middle class to find financial stability, and add up to 1 percent to our GDP,” the BNP leader said.
He observed that women make up nearly two-thirds of the garments industry workforce, and their contribution should not be undervalued.
Citing studies by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), Tarique said factories with childcare facilities experience higher retention, lower absenteeism, and recover costs within a year.
“Childcare is not charity – it is part of the socio-economic infrastructure. Just as roads connect markets, daycare connects women to opportunity,” he added.
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Tarique said the BNP has a clear vision to build an inclusive trillion-dollar economy by 2034 that will create millions of jobs and ensure that every citizen, especially women, contributes to the country’s growth with pride.
“Together, let’s build a nation where every working mother and every student has the freedom to thrive, and where care within one’s community is recognised as the foundation of progress,” he said in the post.