Female workforce decreases by 2000 in banking sector

The number of female officers and employees in the banking sector decreased in 2025 after increasing for several years. According to a recent report published by Bangladesh Bank, the number of female officers and employees decreased by 2,588 to 35,061 last year.

The report said that after the central bank restructured the boards of several banks, many officers voluntarily left their jobs, while some officers were fired. There was a big decline in the first six months of 2025, and in the last six months of the year (July-December), the female workforce decreased by another 721.

By type of bank, it can be seen that private commercial banks have the largest number of female employees (22,983), which is 16.13% of the total workforce. The six state-owned banks have 9,147 female employees (16.90%), and the number of female employees in foreign banks is the lowest at 984, but the participation rate is 25.03%.

As of December 2025, the total number of officers and employees in the banking sector was 2,12,427, of which 16.50 percent were women. While the female workforce in specialized commercial banks and foreign banks decreased slightly, it decreased significantly in private commercial banks.

The report also found that the participation of women as board members of banks was only 13.11% and the share of women at senior levels decreased to 10.35%. The rate of female officers over the age of 50 was 10.92%, while the rate of women under the age of 30 was 21.22%. The job turnover rate of female employees in foreign banks was 29.59%, which is higher than the overall banking sector.

Currently, 6 months of maternity leave is in effect in 61 scheduled banks and 35 financial institutions in the country. Although all banks have sexual harassment prevention policies, only 38 banks and 6 financial institutions have child day care centers. In addition, 38 banks are providing transportation facilities for female employees.