Women identify family responsibilities and motherhood as the primary reasons for leaving their jobs. Data from more than 1,200 BRIDGE Returnship applicants also points to unfavourable work environments, higher education and social expectations. Recognising these challenges and the need to reintegrate skilled women into the workforce, BRAC has relaunched its ‘BRIDGE Returnship’ programme.
Marking the formal launch of BRIDGE Returnship, a discussion with media representatives was held on Thursday, 5 March at BRAC Centre in Mohakhali. Moutushi Kabir, Chief People and Culture Officer at BRAC, delivered the welcome address and responded to questions from the media. Nazibul Islam Sharker, Assistant General Manager, Early Careers and Employer Brand at BRAC was also present at the event.
With International Women’s Day approaching on 8 March, BRAC’s BRIDGE Returnship highlights the importance of supporting women through knowledge, infrastructure, education, training, mentoring, or time. Such support not only enables women to advance in their careers but also contributes to building a more inclusive and equitable society.
For this year’s BRIDGE Returnship programme, more than 1,200 applications were received. Following a multi-stage selection process, 24 candidates were finally selected, who will work across various BRAC programmes over the next six months. The selected participants will receive skills development training, attend leadership workshops, receive mentoring, and other professional development opportunities. In addition, they will be supported in building connections with other NGOs, private sector organisations, and leading corporate institutions, enabling these skilled professionals to secure employment aligned with their qualifications.
Moutushi Kabir recalled the words of BRAC’s founder, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed: “I have never met a defeated woman in my life.” This enduring belief lies at the heart of the BRAC BRIDGE Returnship Programme.
She added that taking a career break is not a sign of weakness. Choosing to step away from an established professional path is often a courageous decision and a significant personal risk. Time away from formal employment does not diminish skill, experience, or leadership potential.
The Bridge Returnship Programme is designed to create structured, supportive pathways for accomplished women to re-enter the workforce, assume meaningful responsibilities, and contribute meaningfully once again. Through this initiative, BRAC aims to unlock renewed confidence, harness untapped talent, and strengthen women’s continued advancement in the world of work, she further emphasised.
It was shared at the event that the core objective of BRIDGE Returnship is to support women who were compelled to leave their professions for various reasons in re-entering the workforce. Participants will be engaged in project supervision, research, and other activities across BRAC programmes, playing a crucial role in ensuring the effective implementation of departmental work.
Through the applicants’ responses, key barriers to women taking career breaks and re-entering the workforce were identified. Among applicants, 38.8 per cent cited family responsibilities and 36 per cent cited motherhood as the primary reasons for leaving their jobs. Other significant reasons included personal causes (18.8 per cent), pursuing higher education (14.4 per cent), hostile work environments (8.5 per cent), and societal pressure (4.7 per cent).
In terms of motivation for joining the Returnship programme, applicants highlighted career growth (76.5 per cent), financial independence (56.5 per cent), building one’s own identity (62.2 per cent), boosting self-confidence (57.7 per cent), and contributing to their families (42.7 per cent) as key drivers.
Analysis of this year’s applicants shows that 6.6 per cent had been away from the workforce for more than six years. The majority (67.9 per cent) had taken a break of one to two years. Meanwhile, 28.6 per cent had over seven years of professional experience, and 58 per cent had between three and five years of experience.
The event also featured a panel discussion with two members of last year’s cohort: Elizabeth Marandy, now a Senior Officer at BRAC’s Microfinance Programme, and Farah Mahboob, Deputy Manager at BRAC’s Social Innovation Lab. The discussion was moderated by Shemonty Monjari, Manager, Communications, Gender Equality Coalition at BRAC. Shahnaz Sharmeen, Special Correspondent from Ekattor TV, also expressed her views about the Returnship programme.
BRAC first introduced the BRIDGE Returnship programme last year to support women returning to work after career breaks. In its inaugural cohort, 15 participants were selected from nearly 1,100 applicants.
