Gender inequality in Bangladesh
Many of the inequalities are result of extreme poverty and traditional gender norms centred on a patrilineal and patriarchal kinship system[2] in rural areas.
Bangladesh has achieved significant advancements in political empowerment, ranking seventh globally with a commendable gender parity rate of 55.2%.
[4] Bangladesh has experienced a substantial transformation, marked by the gradual expansion of opportunities for women over the past few decades.
While labour force increase has accounted for higher percentages for females than males, terms of equality are measured in various areas beyond employment.
Their status and position is also measured in terms of education, income, assets, health, and the role they play in the family and in society.
These characteristics are representative of the amount of political power and social prestige a woman is accorded and thus the extent to which she can influence decision-making within the home and in the community.
Four significant events in the life of a woman: marriage; divorce; custody of children; and, inheritance rights are governed by personal laws.
Other laws protecting Bangladeshi women include the Acid Crime Control 2002 and the Dowry Prohibition Act 1980.
Based on these principles, the Court issued sexual harassment guidelines for the whole country, which will remain when legislation is passed.
[1] Sex selective health care and infanticide suggest a correlation between the number of females to males in Bangladesh.
Women family members are less likely to receive modern medical care and are generally recipients of traditional remedies.
Other impediments to educational attainment for women include early marriage, cultural norms, and religious orthodoxy.
[7] Labor force participation for females has been driven primarily by the growth of approved export industry jobs in textiles and the spread of micro financing operations by NGOs including the Grameen Bank.
Women's participation in high skill, managerial, and government executive positions have increased only to a limited extent.
The 2012 Human Development Report shows that in the small business sector, for every dollar earned by a male, women make 12 cents in comparison.
[20] Marketization of the originally intended welfare oriented sector have made micro finance widely popular, accounting for a $2.1 billion industry.
This relies upon observations that patriarchy is deeply embedded in the culture, thus the spotlight is on empowering women who are vulnerable and powerless.
As observed in the context of India's microcredit crisis of 2010, client poaching occurs where the poorest of individuals are given loans, even if they have little to no prospects of repayment.
Financial setbacks in the initial stages of business, use of loan money for emergencies and/or day-to-day consumption can result in large indebtedness and conditions of poverty worse than before.
Deferral on these loans puts the honour of the family and the security of the woman at risk, thus making shame and humiliation collateral for micro credit institutions.
[24] Unmarried women from rural areas are the preferred garment factory workers, and correspondingly make up the majority of the labour force.
Generally, women suffer the worst working conditions because they hold low skill jobs where occupational hazards are greater.
[25] Safety and fire hazards are issues as well; in April 2013, a factory collapse on the outskirts of Dhaka killed 1,021 people.
Despite the barriers that come with patriarchal rules and the purdah, the system of quotas has ensured women's representation in the national parliament and local governments.
Domestic violence incidents in Bangladesh are widespread and fairly common, affecting women across all forms of economic strata.
While largely under-reported due to social stigma and fear, data suggests an increase in reported cases of abuse.
