It is imperative that the glass ceiling holding back women be shattered judiciously.
Despite all the progress we have made as an economy, it is indubitable that the experiences of women in Bangladesh still leaves much to be desired.
From systemic limitations that hold back women from progressing upwards to our society’s pervasive patriarchal persuasion, we fail to empower women on an everyday basis. Even today, nearly 85% of Bangladeshi women are involved in unpaid household chores or in the informal sector, while the fact that 61% of women RMG workers have no control over their earned income is nothing short of alarming.
Such cultures are the obvious byproduct of a patriarchal society and stand in direct contrast to Bangladesh’s overall goals in both the short and medium terms. As a nation, there is absolutely no way that we can ever claim to be on the path to development if we continuously fail to recognize the importance of women.
Considering that the RMG industry, the backbone of our nation’s economy, is predominantly staffed by women who don’t even have autonomy over how they spend their hard-earned money is telling.
To say that we need to do better would be underselling the severity of the situation.
Bangladesh’s ambitions of becoming a middle-income country over the next few years and then eventually becoming a developed country is well-known, as it has been a cornerstone of the current administration’s political intentions for a long while now.
To that end, it is imperative that the glass ceiling holding back women in our nation be shattered judiciously.
A good bit of our nation’s current economic wellbeing can be laid at the feet of the women who are breaking their backs both home and abroad, and it is a shame that, as a nation, far from giving them the credit they deserve we have all but left them to the dogs. Without the participation of every adult individual, Bangladesh will never be able to truly progress, economically or socially.
We need to do better by our women, and we need to start now.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
