Dr. Simeen Mahmud, Coordinator of CGST and Fellow, BIGD joined the World Bank’s South Asia regional management team retreat as a panel speaker on “Female labor participation.” As a leading economist she shared her thoughts on what can be learned by other South Asian countries from Bangladesh and what could be done in Bangladesh itself to help its women become fully included in the labor market and to obtain good quality jobs. There is no doubt that the economic status of women in Bangladesh is better off today compared to what it was a few years ago. But the progress has not been up to expectations. Women still have to face barriers and disadvantages in many aspects of their lives, experts observed at the event. The event was also attended by, among others Zahid Hussain, Chief Economist of the World Bank in Dhaka; Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director of CPD, Advocate Salma Ali, Executive Director of the Bangladesh National Women Lawyer’s Association.