Women in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, women constitute half of the total population. The majority of them are below the poverty line. It is said that women of our country are the poorest among the poor. It is true, over the last few years they have become increasingly visible as providers of productive labour, but they are deprived of equal labour benefits. Women, generally work longer hours than men, but they are paid less than men. Undoubtedly it is a heinous conspiracy to undervalue women’s work and contribution to our society. Here the female domestic workers are treated brutally too. This under-valuation not only reduces women’s purchasing power but it also deprives them of legal rights. Thousands of girls here fall victim to the dowry system. Their sufferings know no bounds. Besides incidents of bride burning, suicide takes place quite often. It is high time we recognised women as equal partners of men. They should be made self-sufficient by giving them proper education and employment. In the modern world, women have proved that they can advance with the males’ shoulder to shoulder. Their role does not come to an end as a mother or a wife. They have many things to do. A number of avenues are open before them. So, women are one of the powerful assets of Bangladesh.