Determinants of women’s employee engagement in the Bangladeshi workforce

This study examines the determinants of women’s employee engagement in Bangladesh, focusing on socio-cultural influences, organizational culture, leadership support, work-life integration, and career development opportunities. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 242 women employees across four industries, the study applies partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the associations between these five determinants and women’s employee engagement. Organizational culture, leadership support, and work-life integration are each positively associated with women’s employee engagement, whereas socio-cultural influences and career development opportunities show no direct association. Career development is associated with engagement only where perceived size-related HR infrastructure is high, while perceived industry gender-equity support does not condition the socio-cultural association. Engagement strategies therefore need to be tailored to the organizational setting rather than to the sector. The study extends the Job Demands-Resources model and Social Exchange Theory by specifying a gendered conversion mechanism: workplace resources are associated with engagement only where they are relationally enacted and infrastructurally credible. The findings are relevant to organizations and policymakers, underscoring the need for gender-sensitive leadership practices, flexible scheduling, and equitable access to promotion. The design is cross-sectional, and the sample is non-probabilistic, so the findings are associational rather than causal. The study informs the design of supportive and inclusive workplaces that sustain women’s engagement in the Bangladeshi formal sector.