It is a piece of good news that Bangladesh has held its topmost position among the countries of South Asia in ensuring gender equality for the eighth time in a row since 2014. When every day we see disappointing pictures everywhere, this positive social indicator of development is indeed an inspiring piece of news.
Still there are reasons to be concerned. Though Bangladesh continues to be at the top in the region, the World Economic Forum (WEF) that has prepared the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 says the overall gender gap in Bangladesh, in fact, has widened by 0.5 per cent and the country fell six notches to rank 71st among 146 countries. It means what has been achieved is deteriorating.
In the latest report, Nepal ranked second best in the region followed by Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. India’s position is third from the bottom in the region while Afghanistan’s position is the least gender-equal country in not just South Asia but in the world also. Pakistan is the second worst in the region.
While no country has yet achieved full gender parity in the world, policymakers in Bangladesh must take the necessity of creating a gender-balanced society seriously. Who would disagree with the fact that Bangladesh’s economy has come to this level as women’s participation in the country’s workforce has increased?
If women are not empowered through ensuring equal means of economic opportunity, a country cannot be strong in these modern times. For developing a strong economy, it is necessary to invest in women entrepreneurs and provide them with access to finance and markets. There is little room to doubt that women leadership helps to maintain a stable and sustainable economy.
The growth of ubiquitous garments industries and micro-credit schemes of different NGOs have lifted a great number of poor women of rural areas from the quagmire of poverty. Not only among the marginal class of people have this development taken place, even in government decision making women’s participation in Bangladesh is significantly increasing.
But there are a lot of things that need to be done. We are still lacking in a policy environment that would enable women, through political and corporate leadership, to contribute to the advancement of our country. Bangladesh now needs to fight all the barriers to women entrepreneurship. Even now there are many families in Bangladesh that discourage, even prohibit, women’s work outside home. It is now time to fight this backward-looking and weird mindset.
