Kanij Nayema works tirelessly on her feet 8 hours a day

It was early afternoon. A woman was running within the safety barrier in front of Bangla College in Mirpur of the capital. She wore a yellow jacket. Seeing her from distance, I felled compelled to speak to her. I learned she is an engineer and her name is Kanij Nayema. She was preparing for her day's work.

Anybody would be impressed by the confidence Kanij Nayema emanated. Her shift had just started and would continue till 12:00am. We had a brief conversation amidst crowds and moving vehicles.

A mother of three-year-old boy, Kanij Nayema has been doing such risky work since her child was three months old. This woman engineer of the metro rail project has a passion for her job.

Kanij Nayema studied civil engineering at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST). She started her career as a civil engineer at Bulling Developer Company in 2010 and has been involved in the metro rail project since 2016. Currently, she is working as a site inspector at Metro Rail Line-5 (north).

Kanij Nayema has no complaint on the weather conditions. “I get Vitamin D for free standing in the sunlight,” she said smiling. Her shift is eight hours and she performs daily necessities – having her meals, offering prayers and using the restroom – all within the site.

Kanij Nayema has no problem working every day standing for eight hours because she loves her job. “Had my family and colleagues not cooperated me, it would have not been possible to work here. I never feel insecure while working on the site because there are adequate security guards here.”

Kanij Nayema expresses her gratitude to her mother since she takes care of Kanij Nayema’s son at home. Sometimes when her son falls ill and Kanij Nayema is worried, her mother reassures her during such difficult times.

“The people from my office have been so cooperative. They encourage to me to carry on. My husband, who is a government officer, and my in-laws knew that I am a civil engineer before my marriage, so they never created any obstacles to my job. On the contrary, they are very cooperative,” she said.

Kanij Nayema said that the number of woman civil engineers at the field level has increased compared to the time when she started her job. It is a big opportunity to gain technological skills of Japan by working in such a mega project in the country and many women engineers can take this opportunity. But they must have the mind-set to endure hardship.

This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna