Bangladesh is a developing country half of the total population is women whose socio-economic condition is very low. Struggle for modernity, tradition, men-women equality, social dignity, security and for multilateral pressure the position of women in the family is very complex. Here men and women do not participate in social development is not equal. Many indoor and out door activities of women are not treated as work. The devaluation of women labor in labor market also hinders women right. But in market economy women of Bangladesh are always facing new challenges. Though women work in educational institution, medical, factories, police, even in the uneven areas, women are neglected, tortured and persecuted.
2. Introduction :
Bangladesh is a developing country half of the total population is
women whose socio-economic condition is very low. Struggle for
modernity, tradition, men-women equality, social dignity, security
and for multilateral pressure the position of women in the family
is very complex. Here men and women do not participate in
social development is not equal. Many indoor and out door
activities of women are not treated as work. The devaluation of
women labour in labour market also hinders women right. But in
market economy women of Bangladesh are always facing new
challenges. Though women work in educational institution,
medical, factories, police, even in the uneven areas, women are
neglected, tortured and persecuted.
3. Empowerment of women: Empowerment of women is such a process which
controlling women rights, challenges gender disparity in parental and social
institutions.
Women’s Empowerment educates and empowers women, who are
homeless, with the skills and confidence necessary to secure a job, create a
healthy lifestyle, and regain a home for themselves and their children.
Definition
4. 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.
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 laborers 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 labor, 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.
History of Empowerment in Bangladesh
5. Previous time women empowerment
in Bangladesh
The status of women in Bangladesh is defined by struggle to massive
improvement over the years. The Bangladeshi women have made massive
gains since the country gained its independence in 1971. The past four
decades have seen increased political empowerment for women, better job
prospects, improved education and the adoption of new laws to protect their
rights. As of 2013, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the Speaker of
Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition and the Foreign minister were
women. Bangladesh has also not elected a male as Prime Minister since
1988.
6. Education position
As compared to males (62.5%) – 2012 estimates for population aged
15 and over . During the past decades, Bangladesh has improved its
education policies; and the access of girls to education has
increased. In the 1990s, girls' enrolment in primary school has
increased rapidly. Although there is now gender parity in enrolments
at the primary and lower secondary school level, the percentage of
girls drops in the later secondary school years.
7. Politically women empowerment in
Bangladesh
Now in this time, Bangladeshi Women are attended in politics and improve
their skill spontaneously . In order to enhance women’s empowerment, the
number of seats reserved for women in the National Parliament have
been increased by 5, and made 50. There has been a sharp increase in
the number of women parliamentarians elected (20% of total seats) in the
last national election. To create opportunities for women’s increased
participation in politics, reserved seats for women in union council,
Upazila Parishad and municipalities have be been increased to one third
of the total and women are to be directly Women’s participation in local level
elections was perhaps one of the greatest milestones for Bangladesh.
At present in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition,
Speaker and Deputy Leader of the House are all women. Number of
women among the Justices of the Supreme Court, top positions of the
administration – Just for example, our prime minister Shiakh Hasina ,
Foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Cabinet minister Sahara Khatun and speaker
Dr. Shirin Sermin are lead our politics in Bangladesh.
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10. Women's Economic Empowerment in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh has witnessed steady economic growth over the last decade and is
gradually moving towards middle income status. Discourses on economic growth
recognizes the need for women's participation. However, there is a need to examine
whether women in true sense are achieving economic empowerment, and what
women belonging to different sections of society expect from this growth. With a
view to creating a space for dialogue, CARE Bangladesh organized a Conference
titled, 'Women's Economic Empowerment – Investing in Emerging Priorities', on
March 16, 2017 at the Spectra Convention Centre, Dhaka. The conference focused
on three inter-related pathways for economic empowerment of women- (a) Financial
Inclusion; (b) Women and Markets; and (c) Dignified Work. Each theme discussed
experiences, insights and learning from innovative models/works of frontline
practitioners and supporters of women's economic empowerment in the country,
including emerging issues and key recommendations. The summary of the
proceedings are presented here.
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12. Women's in Administration & security
Number of women among the Justices of the Supreme Court, top
positions of the administration – secretaries, additional secretaries, joint
secretaries, deputy commissioners, top positions of police, armed
forces and UN peacekeepers, indicates improvement in women’s
empowerment. This has been possible due to a reserve quota created
by this government for women employment at every level of
administration to enhance women participation in government jobs.
13. Women's employment in the
Garments sector
The garment industry in Bangladesh has played a significant role in
economically uplifting a large cohort of poor and vulnerable women.
The opportunity to be gainfully employed has served as a repellent
against early marriage and in turn reductions in fertility. Control over
income also provides the women with more decision making power at
home, voice in the social sphere and self-esteem. Today,
approximately 80 percent of garment workers are women.
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15. Women's in Sports
Female participation and popularity in sports increased dramatically in the
twentieth century in our country especially in the last quarter-century,
reflecting changes in modern societies that emphasized gender parity.
Although the level of participation and performance still varies greatly. Firstly I
can talk about cricket.
Women's cricket in Bangladesh has changed in a big way over the last few
years. Though they started their journey of cricket from 2007, they have
achieved one day International status so quickly as compare to men's
team. Many more parents are willing to let their daughters come out on the
field and play. Our domestic structure today is a lot stronger than before
since we play a lot more matches.
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17. Secondly, I can talk about football. Our women's football team plays a vital
role in footballs world. The women's football team which take place in last
year is a classic example. Bangladesh U-15 women's football team win the
SAFF Championship by beating India on 1-0 goals. Although the league
encouraged several female players to compete in a professional manner,
the standard of some of the games was below par. Otherwise our U-16
women's football team also plays a glorious role in footballs world.
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20. Apart from excelling in cricket and football Bangladeshi women have
also bagged medals in Kabbadi.They received bronze in the Asian
Games and silver in the South Asian Games (SA) hosted in 2010.
The SA games in 2010 saw Bangladesh achieve its highest ever
medal tally in any international tournament with 18 gold medals of
which came through female athletes in events like shooting,
taekwondo, karate and wushu. Perhaps one of the more surprising
victories came from the Central South Asian Artistic Gymnastics
Championships, where the Bangladesh women's team bagged the
silver medal, finishing second only to India. This was Bangladesh's
first silver medal in gymnastics at the international level since 1995.
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24. Lastly we can say that empowering women to
participate fully in economic life across all
sectors is essential to build stronger
economies, achieve internationally agreed goals
for development and sustainability, and improve
the quality of life for women, men, families and
communities.