Rana Plaza was a turning point in Bangladesh’s apparel history. Reforms have made the garment industry a safer place but have also resulted in huge job losses for women. Five years ago, the country’s clothing sector employed around four million people, of which more than 80 per cent were women. Now Bangladesh’s readymade garment factories have 3.5 million workers, 60.8 per cent of whom are women.

The clothing sector is Bangladesh’s largest export earner. Five years ago, working in a factory was considered a reliable source of income for women, who made up the vast majority of garment workers. Now, the number of women garment workers is on the decline. Some are keeping away from the industry by choice, afraid of another factory collapse. And thousands of others are being shut out of garment factory work by policies designed to keep them safe.

More than 78 per cent of the Rana Plaza survivors have never gone back to work in a garment factory. And more than 48 per cent of the survivors are still jobless. Women are less knowledgeable about the technology that the industry is bringing in, making it more difficult for them to participate in the garment workforce. This lack of knowledge has created more scope for male workers to enter this female-dominated industry.