Perspective

Every morning on the way to work, I pass hundreds of garment workers, mostly female, walking to their factory jobs. The apparel sector (referred to as "ready-made garments" here) is one of the biggest drivers of Bangladesh's economy. I hadn't really given much thought to the young women carrying their tiffins and chatting together as they walk. Mostly they would strike me as an annoyance--they tend to spill out into the middle of the street, run out into traffic without paying much attention to oncoming cars, and generally behave in ways that annoy motorists.

But I was talking to a professor who has worked a lot in the women's movement here. She was talking about how proud she is of the progress Bangladesh has made and pointed to these garment workers as the prime example. When they might have in the past been stuck at home, possibly abused, or else gone into domestic service (where they might also have been abused), now they are supporting themselves and making their own decisions. And she said every time she sees them walking with their lunch tiffins, she is deeply happy. Maybe I'll look again next time.

By the way, I had a rare "Dhaka is sort of pretty" moment last night... lights from the tall new apartment buildings reflecting on Gulshan Lake. Night hides all sorts of ills and drapes a sense of possibility over it all.