Socio-economic Factors influencing Job Preferences of Civil Servants with an Emphasis on Women Professionals: A Study at the Managerial level of the Ministry of Public Administration in Bangladesh

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identity and analyze the socio-economic factors that influence in choosing jobs of civil servants women in particular. Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) is highly competitive where women started entering in the early 1980s after enacting the law with an option for women. The participation of women that gradually increases is greatly influenced by social, familial, organizational and personal factors. Traditionally women in Bangladesh are home-centered. The study found that women in civil service came from educated family whose parents were highly educated and rich. Parental status served as positive effect on them. There were some other issues such as self-dependency, financial crisis, better bride also important factors to join the service. More or less the similar factors served for males professionals with some difference of personal experiences. Social and familial factors greatly influenced the first entry to job. Changing job to civil service was influenced by their practical experience of realizing limitations of the first job and luminous attraction of civil service. This paper employed qualitative research on the civil servants at the managerial level of Ministry of Public Administration in Bangladesh. Thirty-one participants including 17 women were purposively selected and interviewed based on the checklist. KEYWORDS-Job Preference;Professional; Family issues; Social factors