Emerging evidence suggests that home-based childcare (HBCC) may offer a more feasible and context-appropriate alternative for garment workers, but sector-wide adoption depends both on the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s (BGMEA) stance and on the broader system of incentives, regulations, and power relations governing childcare in the RMG sector. This study combines system mapping and political mapping, using home-based childcare as a focal issue to analyze key stakeholders across the RMG childcare system, identify advocacy and leverage points where change is most likely to be sustained, examine how childcare-related decisions are made within the association, and where strategic entry points exist to advance HBCC as a legitimate and acceptable option within sector governance and compliance frameworks.
Researchers: Ferdousi Khanom; Mahmuda Akhter; Wasima Nah; Gerard Oliver D’Costa; Sultana Chadni; James Ward Khakshi
Partners: CARE Bangladesh
Timeline: 2026
Status: Ongoing
Contact: James Ward Khakshi, james.wk@bracu.ac.bd
Context
BGMEA is the most influential industry association in Bangladesh’s RMG sector, shaping collective positions in negotiations with government, buyers, and development partners. Although legal frameworks such as the Labour Law and the Child Daycare Centre Act (2021) mandate childcare provision, implementation has remained limited, and compliance pressures alone have not resulted in widespread adoption.
CARE’s childcare system mapping has identified home-based childcare as a potentially scalable, culturally appropriate alternative for garment workers. However, endorsement or at minimum non-opposition from BGMEA is critical for sector-level uptake. Given BGMEA’s internal governance structures, informal power relations, and exposure to economic, reputational, and political incentives, a political economy lens is required to understand how childcare decisions are shaped and how advocacy efforts can be more effective.
Objectives
The overall objective of this study is to understand how decisions related to worker childcare are made within BGMEA, and how home-based childcare can be advanced through strategic, influence-aware engagement.
Specifically, the study seeks to:
- identify key internal actors, incentives, and power relations shaping BGMEA’s position on childcare;
- map formal and informal decision-making pathways within BGMEA;
- assess the role of external actors such as buyers, government agencies, unions, and civil society in influencing BGMEA’s stance; and
- identify potential champions, blockers, and persuadable actors, along with entry points for targeted advocacy on home-based childcare.
Methodology
The study adopts a political economy and stakeholder-mapping approach, combining desk review, key informant interviews (KIIs), and structured power–interest analysis. The focus is on decision processes and influence pathways rather than program implementation. Primary data are collected through KIIs with current and former BGMEA leaders, standing committee members, selected factory owners, and influential external actors, including buyers’ compliance teams, relevant government officials, labour representatives, and childcare-focused civil society organisations. Interviews are conducted until data saturation is reached. Secondary analysis draws on BGMEA governance documents, public statements, election materials, labour and childcare policies, buyer codes of conduct, and CARE program documentation. Analytical tools include stakeholder power–interest matrices, influence mapping (formal and informal), incentive and risk analysis, and champion–blocker–neutral actor classification to surface strategic advocacy pathways.
Findings and Recommendations
Forthcoming.
