Women Advancement and Achievement

Published:  10:37 AM, 11 March 2023

The Lighting Forces of Society

The Lighting Forces of Society
 
March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day in worldwide. This day is observed with special attention in different countries of the world including Bangladesh for the purpose of gender equality. The day is celebrated worldwide to show respect, appreciation and love for women, as well as economic, political and social achievements, positive attitudes towards women.

Once upon a time women were highly neglected, humiliated, deprived in the society and considered only for childcare and household work. But now the society has changed a lot, the attitude of people has changed and they are considered as the mainstream lighting force of the society. They are playing leadership roles in politics, business, sports, social activities, employment generation etc. It is undoubtedly a commendable and positive step for the formation of society and state. They are enlightening everywhere and every level of society. They are considered to reflect gender equality which is essential for social development and progress of society.

Women's advancement basically refers to the process of women's development and can be defined in different ways. But women's empowerment means accepting, encouraging and allowing women to be excluded from the decision-making process. It emphasizes participation in political structures and formal decision-making and in the economic sphere, raising an income that enables participation in economic decision-making. It also includes work to enhance the status of women through education, health, awareness raising, literacy and training.

There is a saying, give me a good mother, I will give you a good nation. Essentially educated mothers are the pillar of a nation, the beacon of light and they contribute like trees in various ways. Women's education scholarship at school and college level is the leading step in the development of women's advancement in Bangladesh. The participation of women in local administration like UNO, DC, secretary, banker, teacher, police, judiciary, armed forces department and various levels is noticeable and it has increased significantly to deal with men equally and they are successfully playing significant role in every sector. They are not behind men in any area, but in some areas they are more pioneering, innovative and creative than men.

It needs to be said that education boosts women's confidence and helps them find better jobs and they feel encouraged to work shoulder to shoulder with men. They argue in the public interest and place demands to the government for health care, social security and other relevant rights. In particular, education empowers women to make choices that improve their children's health, their well-being, and their chances of surviving a struggling life. Despite significant improvements in recent decades, education is not universally available and gender inequality still persists. A major concern in many countries is not only the limited number of girls attending school, but also limited access to education for those entering the classroom. More specifically, there should be more efforts to address the low participation and learning achievement of girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

In Bangladesh, women's participation in the labor force has increased manifold over time. In 1971, the participation of women in the workplace was only 10 percent, after 50 years of independence, it increased to 36 percent, i.e, it has increased by 26 percent. About 36 percent of women are in the workplace including agriculture, ready-made garments, banks, offices and courts. Women's participation is increasing not only in the export-oriented garment sector, but also in many non-traditional and emerging formal sectors, such as hotels and restaurants, transportation, real estate services, telecommunications, banking and insurance. This is because as access to higher education increases, opportunities for women in Bangladesh to enter the high-value job market have expanded. But several factors act as barriers to women's higher participation in the labor force. Lack of infrastructure such as transport, toilets, childcare facilities and overall lack of security hinders their participation in the job market. Child marriage is another factor that prevents girls from continuing their studies and entering the workforce.

Bangladeshi women have made significant progress since the country gained independence in 1971. Over the past four decades, women's political empowerment, improved job prospects, increased educational opportunities, and new laws have been enacted to protect their rights, although Bangladesh's policies on women's rights are dominated by patriarchal values. As of 2018, Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, and Leader of the Opposition are women. Bangladesh also has not elected a male prime minister since 1991.

The literacy rate as of 2018 for the population aged 15 and above in Bangladesh is lower for females (71.18%) than for males (76.67%). Bangladesh has improved its education policy over the past few decades and girls' educational opportunities have increased. But the concern is that the quality of education has not improved at all. In the 1990s, the enrollment rate of girls in primary school increased rapidly. Although there is now gender parity in enrollment at the primary and lower secondary school levels, the dropout rate of girls at the later secondary and higher secondary levels is declining at a satisfactory rate.

Bangladesh has been a role model in the advancement and empowerment of women over the last decade and the country is experiencing a remarkable change in society due to its efforts in this regard. Bangladesh's achievements in the last decade are exemplary in many areas like reduction of infant and child mortality, poverty alleviation, increase in women entrepreneurship, education and health. In this regard, both the public and private sectors have played important roles and have often worked in a collaborative fashion. Early interventions were made in family planning to reduce the birth rate and microcredit was introduced to provide income generation opportunities. The mobilization of rural women by NGOs in villages and the use of door-to-door women workers to provide health and family planning services has played an important role in improving infant, child and maternal health and income-earning opportunities.

Women in Bangladesh are involved in many jobs, from domestic work inside the home to outside paid work. In its latest report titled 'Global Gender Gap Report 2022', the World Economic Forum says that Bangladesh ranks as the top country among its South Asian neighbors in terms of reducing gender inequality. The report noted that Bangladesh closed 71.4% of its overall gender gap and ranked 71st out of 153 countries globally. Various countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, are praising the development of women in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has won numerous international awards including the United Nations MDG Award, South-South Award, Planet 50-50 Champion, Agent of Change, UNESCO's 'Peace Tree' in recognition of gender equality in education and Global Women's Leadership Award.

The continuous contribution of women to the society is clearly evident to enlighten the society as a whole. Their active participation is really impressive for the empowerment of women and it helps in expanding the economic growth, progress and sustainable development of the society. The government should continue its strong support for the path of progress and advancement of women which shows them as success stories in every sphere of society. An educated mother leads not only herself but also a family, gradually a society and finally a nation, shows the way of light, acts as a light force.
 

Md. Zillur Rahaman is a
banker and a columnist.



Latest News


More From OP-ED

Go to Home Page »

Site Index The Asian Age