Bangladeshi Women's Rights to Work and Safety from the Islamic Perspective

Abstract

Having an occupation is a fundamental right for women; hence, they cannot be denied this privilege by their families, societies, governments, or religions. There is no discrimination based on gender in Islam, and it has granted dignity to women who faced oppression during pre-Islamic times by providing gender equality and protecting women’s rights in all aspects of their lives. In Islam, there are two conditions for granting women a right to work, based on their natural characteristics; first, a woman’s primary scope of work is her family (house), and women have the same opportunities for work as men for any need. There is a common belief in Bangladesh that Islam does not permit women to work, and some Islamic scholars think women without a household have no place in the workplace. In some parts of Bangladesh, women are vulnerable at work; they often work in a hazardous working environment and are denied equal pay. In this light, Islam has provided specific guidelines for the welfare of women in the workplace to ensure a safe working environment. The primary objective of this research is to determine how women’s rights are protected in the garment sector. This study discussed women’s right to work in Islam, specifically regarding preserving their dignity at work, eliminating pay inequality, preventing physical abuse, providing a safe journey to work, strengthening family ties and improving maternal rights for working women. This study also examined possible benefits for women through implementing Islam, particularly regarding social respect and security and highlights the potential benefits of adopting Islamic principles in the garment sector to improve women’s lives in Bangladesh. This study follows the qualitative research paradigm and adopts the qualitative content analysis research method. The Bangladesh government’s laws regarding women’s right to work have been adopted as the primary data source. It is hoped that this study’s output can guide. The analysis outcome will be refined to present recommendations for reviewing the existing civil and Islamic laws, proper planning, legal reform, and implementation of changes at the end of this article. Hopefully, these findings will further empower women’s right to work, especially in Bangladesh. This highlights the need to empower women to achieve the desired development outcomes.