Food Security Situation among Female Garment Factory Workers in Bangladesh

Abstract

This chapter determines the food insecurity status and its associated factors among female garment factory workers in Bangladesh. The ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh has made employment opportunities of so many vulnerable women to have their own income and take responsibility of their families. But to manage the workloads, they have to pay a lot. A significant number of female workers (1.6 million) are employed in different types of garment factories. Bangladesh has the lowest wages in the world for garment factory workers. Due to budgetary limitations, meeting basic necessities like food security is difficult. This study looked at the food insecurity experienced by Bangladeshi women who work in textile factories.  A cross-sectional study was conducted in this survey. The data collection was executed within the period between February 2014 and August 2014.

Female garment factory workers as family heads were associated with household food security. As head of the households, these female workers could better manage their monetary expenses to buy food. By supervising more family spending and other expenses in well-organized manners, they had more control over their household. The results found that 71.9 percent of the women garment factory workers’ households faced food insecurity and 28.1 percent were food secure. Household size (OR2.02, 95% CI, 1.52-2.69, P=<0.001), being the head of the household (OR 0.42, 95% CI, 0.21- 0.82, P=0.012), and job satisfaction felt by the respondents (OR 0.50, 95% CI, 0.32-0.79, P= 0.003) were associated factors linked to food insecurity of women garment factory workers. The results of the study showed a high prevalence of food insecurity, individual insecurity and individual hunger among female garment factory workers. The workers’ basic payment should be satisfactory to correspond with the food price increase in the market.  The government should increase worker pay in sync with market food costs in order to preserve food security. The hourly rate for overtime should be raised, and proper payment for overtime should be guaranteed.