Women make inroads in Bangladesh, but hurdles remain

By Adnan Fahad for Khabar South Asia in Dhaka – 02/02/12

February 01, 2012 (http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2012/02/01/feature-02)






Women have achieved remarkable political power in Bangladesh in recent years, but experts say the country still needs to offer women more opportunities and ensure their proper place in what has traditionally been a highly patriarchal society.

Although Bangladesh's constitution affirms gender equality, much work remains to free women from the clutches of illiteracy, hunger, poverty and unemployment, said Professor Nazma Shaheen of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Sciences at Dhaka University.
"If we cannot apply the laws properly, if we cannot recognise woman's capacity in every sector, our goal of women's empowerment will not be achieved," Shaheen told Khabar South Asia.
When women are given the proper opportunities and authority, they can perform equally well, and sometimes even better than their male counterparts, she said. Shaheen cited the example of Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, who is widely respected as an "honest, hardworking and effective minister" in the present cabinet.
"Not only her, but our prime minister and the opposition leader are female. Besides, in the ministries of Home, Foreign Affairs, Women and Child Welfare, Labour and Employment, female ministers are working successfully," Shaheen said.
Despite their remarkable success at the highest echelons of government, women are underrepresented at other levels, she said, adding that women's qualifications and capabilities must be properly recognised by the state.
"If we cannot increase the number of qualified women in the bureaucracy, the ultimate goal of empowering them will remain unfulfilled," she cautioned.
She added, however, that the number of women in academia, government offices, banks and security forces is gradually increasing."This is truly encouraging," she said.
Other experts believe women's empowerment must begin with girls, at the school level.
"Unless we can ensure gender-sensitive textbooks at primary and high schools, women's emancipation from discrimination and oppression will remain a far cry," Helal Hossain Dhali, a professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department of Dhaka University, told Khabar South Asia.
In this regard, he hailed the government's decision to incorporate gender courses in school curricula.
"The newly introduced National Education Policy has made it mandatory to include gender courses in the text curriculum. It is undoubtedly a great step forward," Dhali said.
"But at the same time, it also has to be ensured that other books of English, Bangla, religion or sociology do not contain any words or pictures that may influence the students' mind-set to become discriminatory toward women."
He said many textbook pictures depict a girl working with her mother in the house while her brother studies.
Fazilatunnesa Bappi, a lawyer and activist, said women's representation in parliament, the judiciary, army, academia, and public and private institutions is increasing at a remarkable pace, thus strengthening Bangladesh's democracy.
"I would request every political party, institution and person to unite and work effectively to further strengthen the foundation of democracy in Bangladesh," Fazilatunnesa told Khabar South Asia.