Empowerment is the process of giving power or authority to the powerless. Empowerment of women is a process through which women, in general, and poor women, in particular, get the opportunity to join the workforce, contribute to family income, and participate in family as well as social affairs.
Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh
Women’s Position in the Past:
In the past, women were segregated from out-of-home productive work and were kept within the four walls. The hearth became their place, and cooking, cleaning, washing, giving birth, and rearing children became their jobs. Men became the wage earners, and all other activities became their responsibilities. In Bangladesh, the position of women is very humiliating, and they are the worst sufferers. There are many reasons for the disempowerment of women in Bangladesh, and the following reasons are the most important:
(i)
Economic reasons.
(ii) Socio-cultural and religious reasons
(i) Economic causes: The majority of women in our country have no economic freedom. They depend on men until death. Although many women, especially rural women, rear ducks and hens, engage in post-harvest activities, etc., no credit is given to them. They are regarded as a liability to the family. Women’s empowerment will not be possible until they are given economic freedom.
(ii) Socio-cultural and religious causes: In Bangladesh, women are the worst sufferers. Social prejudices and customs tend to degrade their position. When a girl is born into a poor family, it is not regarded as a happy event. They think that she has come to add to the family’s burden. They try to find a husband for their daughter even before she attains physical and mental maturity.
They enter her husband’s family, which most often proves hostile to her. Most of the time, if her dowry falls short of the expectations of her husband and his parents, they will insult and mistreat her. She may be threatened with divorce, assaulted, and in extreme cases, even tortured to death.
The necessity of women’s empowerment: Women are now as important as men in society. They constitute nearly half of our total population. So, there can be no denying the fact that they too possess equal rights and duties as men. They have noble missions to fulfill just like men. If they get the opportunity, their genius and capacities will fully bloom. No nation can make real progress keeping half of its population in the dark. Therefore, women’s empowerment is essential.
Necessary steps for empowerment: Some practical measures should be taken for the empowerment of women. Women should be made aware of the fact that they have all the potentialities to participate in the socio-economic development of the country.
They should be made self-sufficient by being given proper education and employment. It should also be ensured that women receive their desirable and just wages for their contributions in the workplace. The social prejudices that exist regarding girls must be changed.
Women’s current position has greatly changed during the last few decades. Today, women are playing important roles in all spheres of life. Many of them have come out of the kitchens and are working hand in hand with men in all spheres of work, from garment workers to pilots, doctors, engineers, teachers, administrators, and more. Now, it has come to the realization of all that if we want to keep pace with the challenges of the millennium, both men and women should work side by side. In this regard, the government, along with people from all strata of life, should come forward to extend their wholehearted cooperation.
