World Bank Recommends Comprehensive Childcare Strategy to Boost Women's Workforce Participation
A recent World Bank study, presented at the National Childcare Summit 2026 in Dhaka, reveals that a significant lack of affordable and accessible childcare is preventing four out of ten urban women from joining the workforce. The study, titled 'Childcare in Bangladesh: What Families Need, What Providers Deliver, and Where the Gaps Remain,' highlights a decline in women's labor force participation from 42.8% in 2022 to 38.4% in 2024. The World Bank recommends a comprehensive childcare strategy that includes affordable services, caregiver training, improved safety standards, and financial support for low-income families. While the Child Daycare Centre Act 2021 provides a legal framework for regulating childcare centers, its enforcement had not yet begun as of October 2026. The research also found that only 0.1% of surveyed urban women use formal daycare centers, with nearly 20% relying on informal home-based care, which often lacks basic safety measures and trained caregivers.
