Progressing in a men’s world: Women’s workforce participation in Bangladesh

Abstract

The chapter analyses women's progress referring to the latest available statistical and comparative information. Starting with the Islamic religious background, it argues that the significant achievements of Bangladesh and its women have occurred within a social environment that continues to represent a man's world with male dominance. Although socially defined by religion, the status of women in contemporary Muslim societies is not predominantly directed by Qur'anic scripts but by the prevailing cultural norms, such as patriarchy, economic invisibility and hegemonic masculinity. Irrespective of their achievements, Bangladeshi women continue to be dominated by a system that assigns more power to the male gender. According to Hassan, "Muslim women must work in full partnership with Muslim men, rejecting Western models of liberation, but also, and more importantly, asserting their own". Bangladeshi women have been able to assert their potential towards an equal presence and prominence in the workplace and the public realm.