The Role of Women in Family and Economy
↬ The Role of Women in Family and Economy
↬ Women’s Contributions to the National Development
Introduction : Women’s participation in the workplace, leadership role in the economic and social arenas and access to credit can be regarded as a great advancement of women in Bangladesh. Engagement of women in the society and economy is the reflection of gender equality which is the precursor to moving the country forward, towards middle-income status, towards inclusive and sustainable development. There is much for the world to learn from the experiences of Bangladesh. The ever-increasing contribution of women is clearly evident in every sphere of society. The visible changes in women’s social and economic participation throughout the country testify the government commitment and to people’s aspiration to a more equitable society.
Women in Economic Process : Bangladesh government dreams for a democratic and inclusive society of Bangladesh. With the aim of making reality Vision-2021, the government has been taken some amazing initiatives that definitely deserve appreciation, for the economic empowerment of rural women; collateral-free micro-credit is given with 5 % service charge. Women entrepreneurs receive 10% of the Small Enterprise Fund and 10% industrial plots. Currently, more than 3 million women are working in the RGM sector alone.
Bangladesh has enhanced its women labour force from 24% in 2010 to about 40% in 2015. Like the year before, gender-sensitive budgets were prepared for 40 ministries in the recently passed Budget 2016-2017, and a special allocation of TK. 21.51 billion was provided for the development of women and children. Women’s participation in agricultural production is facilitated through access to agricultural technologies and loans given for agro-processing, homestead gardens, nurseries, bee-keeping, and other activities. Marginal and landless farmers, of whom 50% are women, are being given support. Enhanced participation and livelihood of rural poor women are a priority program of the government implemented through the “One House, One Farm Project”, which gives priority to female households in every village. While there is some debate over the efficacy of microfinance in poverty reduction, studies have shown that in Bangladesh, female participation in microfinance activities has led to an increased sense of empowerment, measured by factors such as decision-making, social acceptance and political involvement, which in turn have led to general welfare improvements. To encourage women entrepreneurship, a number of financial incentives are provided. This indicates that disbursement towards women entrepreneurs has been increasing both in amount and numbers. Women entrepreneurs can get the advantage of re-financial both from ADB fund and Bangladesh Bank fund.
Women in Social Activities : In the social sphere, Bangladesh is a textbook example of what is possible when women are involved in decision-making. Indeed, it is a heartening story of social innovation and development, in no small part due to the help of microfinance which has played an integral role in rural and social development in Bangladesh – 92 percent of the borrowers are women and 90 percent live in rural areas. Bangladesh has the eighth-lowest gender gap in political empowerment in the world. This is partially due to the fact that it has had a female head of state for longer than any other country in the world. In addition, the proportion of seats held by women in the national parliament doubled from 10 percent in 1990 to 20 percent in 2011. Women’s growing presence in the political sphere has had important implications for the family structure. Society is moving away from the traditional view that women are an economic liability and that sons are more desirable than daughters.
Take for example the fact that Bangladeshi mothers increasingly have a say in their children’s education. The country has managed to reduce the gender gap at all levels of education, particularly at lower levels of education, i.e. youth literacy and secondary school enrolments. In these two areas, disparities have been reduced at a faster rate in Bangladesh than the global average.
To promote the products of women entrepreneurs for the first time an independent sales centre was established at the Rapa Plaza of Dhaka under the program of “Development Efforts of Women Entrepreneurship” of Department of Women Affairs. At present 180 entrepreneurs are being provided with 140 stalls. Disabled and oppressed women entrepreneurs are also provided with stalls. It is one of the most significant advancements of women in societal arenas.
Conclusion : Yet, Bangladeshi women continue to face numerous challenges. The recent industrial disasters in the RMG sector, where a large majority of workers are women, highlight the serious concerns about occupational safety and health. The Bangladeshi government, employers, workers, and organizations are making important strides in the right direction, with the support of the ILO and many development partners, but still, a lot needs to be done. Women also have been getting the short end of the stick in the labour market. The employment rate of women in 2010, at 58 percent, was close to 30 percentage points lower than the rate for men. Women are also disproportionately affected by unemployment, underemployment and vulnerable employment. Moving forward, it is important to put in place gender-responsive labour market policies that would pave the way for more equitable employment outcomes and decent work for women in society and economy and thus will be added to the inclusive development of the whole nation ultimately.
Same composition collected from another book
About fifty percent of the total population of our country is women. So, there is no denying that our womanhood plays a significant role in our national development. They are no longer inferior to and less intelligent than men.
Earlier in our society, women were forced and kept inside the home. They were not allowed to come outside and to participate in the state affair. But that time is over. Now, women have proved their ability as well as talent in social and political arena. In every field of life, especially in offices, in banks, in factories, in schools, colleges and universities, in armed forces, in trade and commerce, in hospitals they are working. The bringing up of the children, the management of the family, and even the shopping and marketing are solely done by our women.
In every sector of production, women play a major role, Our readymade garment sector almost totally depends on women. More than 70 percent of our garment workers are women. They in our poultry industry, the participation of women has increased. Their role in handicrafts is also significant for the development of the country.
The general attitude of our society towards women has undergone a great change. Earlier women were thought to be fit only in the kitchen and in domestic chores. Nowadays, in every respect, women are being given priority. In the field of education, medical science, culture, literature the government takes special care of women. Women are now considered as the real assets of the country. They are becoming self-dependent and more independent.
The role of women in the development of our country is so vast and great that we cannot impose any social and religious barrier on their onward march any more. Rather we are hopeful that our women will occupy their right position in our society by their hard and sincere work.