Bangladesh’s emergence as a major labour-exporting country has been accompanied by significant yet underexamined shifts in the gender composition of its migrant workforce. This diagnostic research paper investigates the nexus between female international labour migration, household care dynamics, and the implications for gender-responsive social protection policy, with particular reference to the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS) 2026+ formulation process.
Key findings of this study reveal that female labour migration from Bangladesh, while exhibiting fluctuations over the past decade, peaking at approximately 121,925 workers in 2017 before declining to an estimated 40,088 by September 2025, has profoundly affected household care arrangements, gender relations, and the well-being of dependents left behind. The percentage of female labour migrants relative to total overseas employment has ranged from a high of 19 per cent in 2015 to approximately 6 per cent in 2024 (BMET, 2025). Despite these numerical fluctuations, the qualitative impact of even small-scale female migration on care ecosystems is disproportionately large, given the entrenched gendered division of care labour in Bangladeshi society.
The study finds that when women migrate, care responsibilities are predominantly redistributed to other female family members, particularly mothers-in-law and maternal grandmothers, rather than to male household members, thereby perpetuating rather than transforming gender inequities in care work. Children of migrant mothers face heightened risks of emotional distress, educational disruption, and psychosocial challenges, while elderly caregivers experience physical and economic strain. The analysis of remittance data shows that Bangladeshi migrants sent home a record USD 30.33 billion in FY2024–25, a 26.83 per cent increase from the previous year, yet the benefits of these remittances are unevenly distributed, and the social costs borne by families, especially those of female migrants, remain largely unaccounted for in policy frameworks.
A comparative analysis of social protection frameworks for female migrant workers in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal, India, and other Asian and developing countries yields important lessons. The Philippines’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Sri Lanka’s Overseas Workers Welfare Fund (OWWF), and Indonesia’s National Social Security System (SJSN) offer models of varying effectiveness that Bangladesh can adapt. Key lessons include the importance of mandatory pre-departure orientation, portable social security benefits, family-support mechanisms for left-behind households, reintegration programmes, and the integration of migration considerations into national social protection strategies.
The paper identifies significant gaps in Bangladesh’s existing social protection and migration governance frameworks, including the absence of dedicated social protection provisions for families of migrants, insufficient integration of migration and care dimensions in the NSSS, weak enforcement of labour protections for female migrants in destination countries, inadequate psychosocial support and reintegration services, and the limited involvement of women migrants in policy formulation processes.
Based on these findings, the paper provides a comprehensive set of evidence-based recommendations organized around five strategic pillars: (i) strengthening gender-responsive migration governance; (ii) integrating migration-sensitive provisions into the NSPS 2026+; (iii) establishing care-support infrastructure for families left behind; (iv) enhancing pre-departure preparation and post-return reintegration; and (v) building robust monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge systems. These recommendations are designed to be actionable within the institutional and fiscal realities of Bangladesh, while drawing on proven international practices.
Key institutional recommendations include the establishment of a dedicated Women’s Migration Division within the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, the creation of a comprehensive Migrants’ Social Insurance Scheme modelled on the Philippine OWWA and Sri Lankan OWWF, the development of community-based care services in high-migration districts, the integration of migration as a cross-cutting dimension in the NSPS 2026+ lifecycle framework, and the leveraging of the Family Card infrastructure as a migration-sensitive delivery platform for social protection benefits.
The paper proposes a phased implementation approach with quick wins achievable within 12 months, medium-term priorities over 2-3 years, and long-term objectives over 3-5 years. The estimated annual cost of full implementation ranges from approximately BDT 153-265 crore (USD 1323 million), a modest investment relative to Bangladesh’s social protection budget and the USD 30+ billion in annual remittance inflows that the migration system generates. The paper also presents a comprehensive monitoring framework with indicators across six outcome areas: coverage, care support, protection, reintegration, wellbeing, and financial sustainability. The paper concludes with a research agenda identifying eight priority areas for future studies that would deepen the evidence base on migration, care, and social protection in Bangladesh. Realizing the recommendations of this paper will require sustained political commitment, interministerial coordination, adequate fiscal allocation, and, most importantly, the meaningful participation of migrant women and their families in policy formulation. The NSPS 2026 and beyond formulation process represents an unprecedented window of opportunity that must not be missed.
