On July 31, 2025, DataSense, a strategic business unit of iSocial, hosted a pivotal webinar to address the growing precarity faced by women in Bangladesh’s platform economy. The event, moderated by Dr. Ananya Raihan, Chairperson of iSocial, convened a diverse group of experts from government, the private sector, and civil society to discuss the urgent need for policy reform and greater worker protection.

Webinar: The Precarity of Women Platform Workers: Bangladesh Scenario and Agenda

On July 31, 2025, DataSense, a strategic business unit of iSocial, hosted a pivotal webinar to address the growing precarity faced by women in Bangladesh’s platform economy. The event, moderated by Dr. Ananya Raihan, Chairperson of iSocial, convened a diverse group of experts from government, the private sector, and civil society to discuss the urgent need for policy reform and greater worker protection.

Key Highlights and Research Insights

The webinar began with a keynote presentation by Sadman Rahman, Research Fellow at DataSense, who shared findings from a collaborative study conducted by DataSense and Data & Society (USA). The research, part of a three-country anthology, explored the lived experiences of women in Bangladesh’s gig economy. It highlighted how the rise of platform work is reshaping the labor market, exposing women to informal employment, job insecurity, and gender disparities.

The discussion featured distinguished remarks from A.H.M. Shafiquzzaman, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), who shared insights from the Labour Reform Commission’s recommendations and plans for future policy amendments.

Diverse Perspectives and Calls for Action

Our esteemed panel delved into an insightful discussion on the challenges and potential solutions for platform workers. Key takeaways from the speakers included:

• Policy and Legal Gaps:The need to formally recognize gig workers in labor laws, as emphasized by Razekuzzaman Ratan, President, NCCWE and Member, Labour Reform Commission.
• Vulnerabilities of Women Workers:Insights from Nudrat Nawar, Head of Enterprise Solutions, Sheba.xyz, on the informality, low pay, and insecurity faced by women in beauty and domestic services.
• Technological and Structural Challenges:Mehedi Shoron, Co-founder and CEO, HelloTask, discussed hurdles in formalizing domestic work, while Saif Islam, Senior Programme Officer, ILO, stressed the importance of aligning labor and ICT frameworks.
• Government Initiatives:Zohra Begum, Joint Secretary, ICT Division, highlighted projects aimed at empowering women and creating safer, gender-sensitive platforms.
• Economic Impact:Saidul Islam, Additional Secretary General, Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, provided context on Bangladesh’s position as a major supplier of online labor and urged for an ecosystem approach before heavy regulation.

The discussion also highlighted the broader structural challenges faced by women, including the burden of unpaid care work, algorithmic bias, wage disparities, and the absence of grievance mechanisms. Participants unanimously called for robust labor regulation, social protection, and collective action to ensure platform work becomes a pathway to formal employment.

The event concluded with a vote of thanks from Mohammad Avi Hossain, Research Director at DataSense, who called for balanced governance and institutional capacity-building to protect platform workers.

This webinar served as a crucial platform to challenge inequalities, foster inclusion, and advocate for community-centered developments in the digital labor landscape.