Survey Instrument The most important aspect to survey research is designing a survey tool that asks clear and relevant questions. To determine the actual conditions relevant to food and income status of female garment workers, we conducted a survey by preparing a structured questionnaire from July 2015 to August 2015; since our present study based on quantitative method that mainly followed the interview sample survey method on collecting data. Besides, certainly this study is both explanatory and analytical in nature.
Our study population was restricted only some garment factories located in Gazipur area. We have randomly chosen 385 female garment workers from randomly selected 30 different garment factories. There are 7 grades structure (Grade 1 to Grade 7) of garment worker as per “Gazette on Minimum Wages 2013” (Workers' Voice Report, 2014). Grades are made according to designation where grade 3 to 6 includes junior, senior, and general machine operators and grade 7 is assigned only for assistant machine operator of different section in the garment factory as helper. For the study convenience, we made two categories of the female garment workers; all the sewing operators were included in grade 3 to grade 6 and grade 7 resembled helper. We explore food and income status in depth, asking nearly 29 questions to 251 female sewing garment operators and 134 female helpers respectively.
Data Collection Questionnaires were developed to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics (religion, age, color, height, weight, home district, marital status, family status etc.), regular dietary habit, dietary intake (food item, intake pattern and frequency), usual working hour, overload hour, overtime, overtime rate, and monthly income. Before the finalization of the questionnaire, we reviewed it by an expert and took some adjustments where necessary. For obtaining information respondents were requested to recall their food intake in last seven days and for income in last month as well. Food intake pattern was recorded in terms of frequency of consumption of food items namely egg, milk, fish (small/large), meat (chicken/beef/others), fruits, and vegetables. Similarly, the frequencies of eating those items were recorded "Never? "1 - 3 times? a week,? 4 -5? times a week, "6 - 7? times a week. On the other hand, monthly income package including overtime and others was recorded by our own created income scale that starts from 4,500 tk and ends with 13,000 tk.
Hypotheses To establish relationship between consumption frequency of food item and income level as well as to find out the variability of total working hour, overtime rate, total monthly income between female sewing operator and female helper the following hypotheses has been considered. Hypotheses 1. The consumption frequency of affinity among the female garment workers differ according to the level of income. Hypotheses 2. The consumption frequency of eating food items among the female garment workers does not differ according to position that they belongs to. Hypotheses 3. The female sewing operators have more variability of total working hours per week in including overtime than female helper. Hypotheses 4. The variability of overtime rate per hour of female sewing operators is more than that of female helper. Hypotheses 5. The female sewing operators have more variability in their total earned monthly income including overtime, attendance bonus, and others than female helper.
Data Analysis: Tools After obtaining the data from our respondents descriptive analysis was performed to summarize the data; however data processing and analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2007. In order to find association between some variables chi square test was used. Analysis of variance and inferential statistics were also performed where appropriate.