Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque and Dr. Md Shakhawat ullah Chowdhury :
The government of Bangladesh endeavors to promote advancement of women through policy intervention. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is the nucleus of all development activities so far as women and child are concerned. It has adopted National Action Plan for the implementation of women development policy with representatives from different ministries, women’s organizations and civil society. Among others the committee addresses several issues, including gender sensitive budget, implementation of High Court verdict to prevent sexual harassment, security of women in mass media and other fields of work, full list of martyred female freedom fighters and Birangonas (Liberation War Heroine) and construction of infrastructures for the disabled in the action plan. A recent quantitative study by the World Bank (WB) on gender reports that ‘Bangladesh lies in the low per-capita range and its gender development is also very low. There are accompanying safety nets or relevant operations, but in general they failed to mitigate adverse impacts on women per se.’
Bangladesh is a society with patriarchial preponderence. Here gender discrimination is ubiquitous. Dependence of women on men is admittedly great. Despite ‘constitutional affirmations of gender equality’ and legislative measure gender discrimination renders it difficult for the policy makers to estabilsh gender justice. women and young girls continue to be a fragile locus. ‘Traditionally, women were often discouraged from participating in public life. Women’s access to social, economic, political and legal institutions is mediated by men. Women are mainly recognised only for their reproductive role. However, due to increased poverty and an increased demand for labor, female employment has risen since the mid 1980’s. Men’s authority over women is reinforced by pervasive gender-based violenc
A female gender expert attempted to give an idea about Sex, Gender and Gender analysis. She opined that “sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is meant by the term “gender”, and how it differs from the closely related term “sex”. “Sex” refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as the relations between women and those between men. These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialization processes. They are context/time-specific and changeable.’ “Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader socio-cultural context. Other important criterion for socio-cultural analysis includes class, race, poverty level, ethnic group and age Male” and “female” are sex categories, while “masculine” and “feminine” are gender categories. The socially-constructed concepts of masculinity and femininity; the “appropriate” qualities or characteristics that are expected to accompany each biological sex. Gender analysis examines the differences in women’s and men’s lives, including those which lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery. It is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities. Gender analysis aims to achieve equity, rather than equality. Gender equality is based on the premise that women and men should be treated in the same way. Long standing gender norms and values mean that ‘women typically control less power and fewer resources than men. Not surprisingly, this often gives men an advantage – in the economic, political, and educational arenas, but also with regard to health and health care’ (www.who.int).
The gender issue itself concerns policy actors stake holders associated with emerging civil societies. Civil societies and NGOs alke seek tp address the stateof gap in gender development in a characteristic fasion within the framework of national plocy strategy. Now the cocepts like women, empowerment, women emancipation, feminist movement, women rights, gendrjustice are favourable ones found in the vocabulary of human development. Women development plans with these favourable concepts remain a dead letter whatever well intentioned they might be. However recent institutional interventions have generated some success stories. Needless to mention Bangladesh, a signatory to the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). The concerned institutions feel committed to attaining the objectives of ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women. As policy reports stated ‘Bangladesh Government has been actively engaged in formulating proactive policies and taking affirmative actions for accelerating the implementation process in achieving the goal of holistic empowerment of women. Over the last couple of decades the initiative to ensure equal rights of women and nondiscrimination has gained momentum in Bangladesh and has been successful in mobilizing and coordinating women to stand up for their rights. However, relentless endeavour is underway on the part of the Government by way of adoption of policies, legislation, strategies, national action plans and programs for realization of empowerment of women. The pro-women policies, strategies and measures of the government undertaken in the last decades have positively influenced the reduction of poverty of women. A number of programs were undertaken by government that includes safety net, development activities, etc. The NGOs have micro credit programs for production and business by women. Private sector generated employment for women especially in garments sectors.
The government and NGOs are promise bound to address women development focusing on the following five areas – food and nutrition, health, educationand empowerment of the girl child, protection from abuse, exploitation and violenceand physical environment. In addition, other policies have been formulated such aseducation policy, health policy etc. to improve the quality of life of the children withspecial focus on girls traced’ (www.mowca.gov.bd).
Women are victims social violence and as well as natural calamities such as ‘political conflict, social discrimination, arsenic contaminated water, salinity, drying of wetlands, deforestation, use of agro chemicals, industrial waste, inappropriate land use, building of dams and embankments; and floods, cyclone, and droughts’. Consequent upon climate change cyclones such as Sidr and Ayla caused considerable damages and climate displacement. Migration to cities been occurring with greater intensity and more frequently. Despite great difficulties and resource constraints, the Government has tackled the situation effectively.
The government of Bangladesh endeavors to promote advancement of women through policy intervention. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is the nucleus of all development activities so far as women and child are concerned. It has adopted National Action Plan for the implementation of women development policy with representatives from different ministries, women’s organizations and civil society. Among others the committee addresses several issues, including gender sensitive budget, implementation of High Court verdict to prevent sexual harassment, security of women in mass media and other fields of work, full list of martyred female freedom fighters and Birangonas (Liberation War Heroine) and construction of infrastructures for the disabled in the action plan. A recent quantitative study by the World Bank (WB) on gender reports that ‘Bangladesh lies in the low per-capita range and its gender development is also very low. There are accompanying safety nets or relevant operations, but in general they failed to mitigate adverse impacts on women per se.’
Bangladesh is a society with patriarchial preponderence. Here gender discrimination is ubiquitous. Dependence of women on men is admittedly great. Despite ‘constitutional affirmations of gender equality’ and legislative measure gender discrimination renders it difficult for the policy makers to estabilsh gender justice. women and young girls continue to be a fragile locus. ‘Traditionally, women were often discouraged from participating in public life. Women’s access to social, economic, political and legal institutions is mediated by men. Women are mainly recognised only for their reproductive role. However, due to increased poverty and an increased demand for labor, female employment has risen since the mid 1980’s. Men’s authority over women is reinforced by pervasive gender-based violenc
A female gender expert attempted to give an idea about Sex, Gender and Gender analysis. She opined that “sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is meant by the term “gender”, and how it differs from the closely related term “sex”. “Sex” refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as the relations between women and those between men. These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialization processes. They are context/time-specific and changeable.’ “Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader socio-cultural context. Other important criterion for socio-cultural analysis includes class, race, poverty level, ethnic group and age Male” and “female” are sex categories, while “masculine” and “feminine” are gender categories. The socially-constructed concepts of masculinity and femininity; the “appropriate” qualities or characteristics that are expected to accompany each biological sex. Gender analysis examines the differences in women’s and men’s lives, including those which lead to social and economic inequity for women, and applies this understanding to policy development and service delivery. It is concerned with the underlying causes of these inequities. Gender analysis aims to achieve equity, rather than equality. Gender equality is based on the premise that women and men should be treated in the same way. Long standing gender norms and values mean that ‘women typically control less power and fewer resources than men. Not surprisingly, this often gives men an advantage – in the economic, political, and educational arenas, but also with regard to health and health care’ (www.who.int).
The gender issue itself concerns policy actors stake holders associated with emerging civil societies. Civil societies and NGOs alke seek tp address the stateof gap in gender development in a characteristic fasion within the framework of national plocy strategy. Now the cocepts like women, empowerment, women emancipation, feminist movement, women rights, gendrjustice are favourable ones found in the vocabulary of human development. Women development plans with these favourable concepts remain a dead letter whatever well intentioned they might be. However recent institutional interventions have generated some success stories. Needless to mention Bangladesh, a signatory to the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). The concerned institutions feel committed to attaining the objectives of ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women. As policy reports stated ‘Bangladesh Government has been actively engaged in formulating proactive policies and taking affirmative actions for accelerating the implementation process in achieving the goal of holistic empowerment of women. Over the last couple of decades the initiative to ensure equal rights of women and nondiscrimination has gained momentum in Bangladesh and has been successful in mobilizing and coordinating women to stand up for their rights. However, relentless endeavour is underway on the part of the Government by way of adoption of policies, legislation, strategies, national action plans and programs for realization of empowerment of women. The pro-women policies, strategies and measures of the government undertaken in the last decades have positively influenced the reduction of poverty of women. A number of programs were undertaken by government that includes safety net, development activities, etc. The NGOs have micro credit programs for production and business by women. Private sector generated employment for women especially in garments sectors.
The government and NGOs are promise bound to address women development focusing on the following five areas – food and nutrition, health, educationand empowerment of the girl child, protection from abuse, exploitation and violenceand physical environment. In addition, other policies have been formulated such aseducation policy, health policy etc. to improve the quality of life of the children withspecial focus on girls traced’ (www.mowca.gov.bd).
Women are victims social violence and as well as natural calamities such as ‘political conflict, social discrimination, arsenic contaminated water, salinity, drying of wetlands, deforestation, use of agro chemicals, industrial waste, inappropriate land use, building of dams and embankments; and floods, cyclone, and droughts’. Consequent upon climate change cyclones such as Sidr and Ayla caused considerable damages and climate displacement. Migration to cities been occurring with greater intensity and more frequently. Despite great difficulties and resource constraints, the Government has tackled the situation effectively.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University and Dr. Md Shakhawat ullah Chowdhury, Asistant Professor and Head, Department of General Education, Southern University Bangladesh)
