Women in Bangladesh

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh achieved remarkable success in promoting the rights of women. Her efforts in the realm of women's empowerment and gender equality are frequently regarded as a model for other nations.

The government of Bangladesh has mandated the reservation of at least 33% of all committee positions for women. Within the Parliament, there is one whip, two chairpersons, and several members of standing committees who are women. Presently, the national parliament boasts 20 elected female representatives, and an additional 50 seats are exclusively reserved for women. Consequently, the total count of women serving as members of the National Parliament amounts to 70.

In legal matters, Bangladesh follows a mixed system, predominantly of common law inherited from its colonial past as well as some Islamic laws that mostly concern personal status issues. Politically, women have been comparatively prominent in the sphere: since 1990s the Prime Ministers elected were women. To ensure the well-being and progress of women, the government has implemented and revised several laws, establishing institutions and formulating targeted policies. These efforts aim to safeguard women's interests and create an environment conducive to their empowerment. By introducing gender-sensitive policies and programs, the government strives to enable women to play a vital role in society and actively contribute to development as empowered agents.

The budget allocated for gender-related initiatives in the fiscal year 2023–2024 amounts to Tk175,350.5 crore. Out of this total, 58.4% is designated for empowering women and enhancing their social dignity, 33.5% is allocated for expanding women's access to public services, and 8.1% is dedicated to improving women's productivity and participation in the labor force. Enhanced engagement of women in socio-economic and political endeavors has led to noteworthy advancements in gender parity across all sectors within Bangladesh. For the second consecutive year, Bangladesh has claimed the foremost position in gender equality among South Asian nations, as affirmed by the Gender Gap Index. Notably, the country has effectively bridged 73% of its comprehensive gender gap, as indicated by the Global Gender Gap Index of 2020. During the period spanning 1996 to 2017, the national female labor force participation rate escalated from 15.8% to 36.3%, surpassing the South Asian average of 35%.

History

The extent to which women in the region in the past has varied over time, where the status of women varied between religious and ethnic groups, as well as across social classes.

Pre-Independence Era

Before the 20th century, women in this region, as well as in Bengal in general, experienced different levels of autonomy depending on where they lived. While women who lived in rural areas were able to roam around in groups and appear in public, those who lived in urban areas would have to observe purdah by covering up. Prevalent in both Hindu and Muslim families at the time, these middle-class and upper-class women were mostly homemakers who barely went outside; any occasional movement outside were done inside cloaked carriages. This was seen as a way to protect women from unknown dangers of urban areas by the patriarch of the house. However, purdah was not common among lower-class women.

Polygamy was practiced in this region regardless of religion. Nevertheless, the practice was not common among the general populace and was more commonly observed in the aristocratic class; recent eras see a further decline in polygamous relationships. Historically, Sati was practiced in this region, mostly among the upper class, until the late 19th century.

Post-Independence Era

Available data on health, nutrition, education, and economic performance indicated that in the 1980s the status of women in Bangladesh remained considerably inferior to that of men. Women, in custom and practice, remained subordinate to men in almost all aspects of their lives; greater autonomy was the privilege of the rich or the necessity of the very poor.

Most women's lives remained centred on their traditional roles, and they had limited access to markets, productive services, education, health care, and local government. This lack of opportunities contributed to high fertility patterns, which diminished family well-being, contributed to the malnourishment and generally poor health of children, and frustrated educational and other national development goals. In fact, acute poverty at the margin appeared to be hitting hardest at women. As long as women's access to health care, education, and training remained limited, prospects for improved productivity among the female population remained poor.

About 82 percent of women lived in rural areas in the late 1980s. The majority of rural women, perhaps 70 percent, were in small cultivator, tenant, and landless households; many worked as labourers part-time or seasonally, usually in post-harvest activities, and received payment in kind or in meager cash wages. Another 20 percent, mostly in poor landless households, depended on casual labour, gleaning, begging, and other irregular sources of income; typically, their income was essential to household survival. The remaining 10 percent of women were in households mainly in the professional, trading, or large-scale landowning categories, and they usually did not work outside the home.

The economic contribution of women was substantial but largely unacknowledged. Women in rural areas were responsible for most of the post-harvest work, which was done in the chula, and for keeping livestock, poultry, and small gardens. Women in cities relied on domestic and traditional jobs, but in the 1980s they increasingly worked in manufacturing jobs, especially in the readymade garment industry. Those with more education worked in government, health care, and teaching, but their numbers remained very small. Continuing high rates of population growth and the declining availability of work based in the chula meant that more women sought employment outside the home. Accordingly, the female labour force participation rate doubled between 1974 and 1984, when it reached nearly 8 percent. Female wage rates in the 1980s were low, typically ranging between 20 and 30 percent of male wage rates.

In 2019 Bangladesh's highest court ruled that on marriage registration forms, a word used to describe unmarried women that can also mean "virgin" must be replaced with a word that only means "an unmarried woman".

The official religion of Bangladesh is Islam and 90% of the population being Muslim.