Women Entrepreneurs Expand Across Sylhet's Diverse Business Sectors

Women’s participation in entrepreneurship is expanding across Sylhet Division, with an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 women currently running businesses, including around 2,000 in Sylhet district alone.

The development marks a significant change in Sylhet’s business landscape. Around 15 years ago, women’s businesses were largely concentrated in tailoring, clothing and beauty parlours. Today, women are entering diverse sectors such as restaurants, boutiques, cottage industries, catering, information technology, event management, medical equipment, contracting, freelancing, outsourcing and food production. Several thousand women are also running online businesses from their homes.

Local administration officials, the Women Chamber and women entrepreneurs’ organisations said there is no precise record of the total number of women-owned businesses in the division. However, they estimate that 5,000 to 6,000 women are engaged in entrepreneurship across the region.

Key Highlight

• Sylhet has an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 women entrepreneurs
• Women are expanding into diverse business sectors across Sylhet
• Women-led enterprises are creating jobs and boosting economic participation.

The growing number of women entrepreneurs has also contributed to employment opportunities for other women, particularly through small, medium and cottage industries. The entrepreneurs stated that the economy of Sylhet could be further improved by providing more institutional support for women.

According to Shakera Sultana Jannat, a woman entrepreneur, there are estimated to be 5,000-6,000 women entrepreneurs in Sylhet Division of which around 2,000 are in Sylhet district.

Though the progress, women entrepreneurs are still facing problems in the availability of capital, banking facilities and wholesale markets. Social stigma, patriarchal mindset, opposition from family members and the fear of safety are also intimidations for women entrepreneurs.

According to Swarnalata Roy, Former President of Sylhet Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this time the chamber has 180 members. She said women continue to face negative family and social attitudes, limited access to capital and concerns about returning home safely after closing their businesses.

Although the government has introduced measures to encourage women’s participation in economic activities, Swarnalata said, “greater government patronage is still needed.” She called for advanced training programmes and workshops to help women understand how to access bank loans more easily. She also highlighted the need to build a conducive atmosphere for women to be involved in the marketing and selling of products and services.

The experiences of Nasrin Begum, 35, and Tasnim Akter, 36, illustrate the changing opportunities for women in Sylhet.

Nasrin, a resident of Subidbazar, established a women’s fitness centre in 2015 with encouragement from her husband, Kajal Rahman. Despite facing negative perceptions initially, she continued with the venture and later expanded into women’s retail fashion.

Tasnim, originally from Dhaka, moved to Sylhet after marriage to private-sector employee Md. Jane Alam. As managing household expenses on a single income became difficult, she first turned to private tutoring before entering business.

Having worked with batik, block printing and fabric design, Tasnim started selling boutiques clothes in 2013, which brought Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 profit. Later she bought Tk 7,000 from her husband's savings and made dresses with her own designs, making Tk 12,000 profit out of it.

She joined a women entrepreneurs' fair in 2014 and invested an additional Tk 300,000 in her business with her husband's support in 2015. The company has since provided job opportunities for 20 people.

Increasing opportunities for entrepreneurial women have emerged in Sylhet, with more women involved in business and more financial independence and economic empowerment evident. Better access to finance, training and markets may further boost women's involvement in the Sylhet economy.