The availability of opportunities for work
outside the home, notably in garment factories, has
probably increased the autonomy of women. Improved
safety is the most urgent priority: Conditions
are harsh by Western standards, and many
workers are paid below the official minimum wage.
At the same time, incomes are still several times
higher than alternatives such as domestic work,
and these factory jobs have offered a way out for
hundreds of thousands of formerly impoverished
Bangladeshi women.