This report explores the effects of the Mothers@ Work programme on participating factories, focusing on changes in policy, practice and pregnancy experiences. This light-touch assessment draws from qualitative interviews in six garment factories enrolled in Better Work Bangladesh (BWB) that participated in the Mothers@Work programme between 2018 and 2019.
All factories have updated their workplace policies on maternity benefits and breastfeeding. The interviews highlighted how participation in the programme strengthened factory policies and practices supporting expecting and new mothers on the factory floors.
The report also highlights some additional areas related to women leaving and re-entering the labor market due to childcare responsibilities and women workers’ preferences for receiving their salaries in cash. These two topics bring in broader questions about women’s economic participation in Bangladesh, which could be explored in future research. The report ends with a set of recommendations for the programme and its design and monitoring.