Empowered by resilience and innovation, Bangladeshi women are reshaping their nation’s future and breaking barriers along the way.
Women! As Hillary Clinton elegantly puts it, “They are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” In Bangladesh, however, this reservoir is perhaps no longer as underutilised as it used to be. While there is still a ways to go, the advancement of women in Bangladesh is gaining momentum, coursing steadily, and transforming the nation. From Begum Rokeya’s resistance to the endurance of hundreds of anonymous women, Bangladesh’s fight for and progress towards female empowerment is full of brave tales that are still being told today.
Today, women are making an impact everywhere – running food carts and tea stalls, leading boardrooms, teaching in classrooms, piloting aircraft, and even conquering Mount Everest. Beyond the cities, they are ever-present, tending fields, managing businesses, advocating for, and fighting for other women and girls to change and transform their communities from the ground up.
The fight for equal rights has become more than bridging the gap between men and women. It has turned into a revolution. However, this advancement did not come easily, nor was it handed to them on a silver platter. Rather, it was gained through perseverance and overcoming obstacles and taboos. This breakthrough is the ultimate assemblage of the countless puzzle pieces of interconnected factors: education, economic participation, digital connectivity, grassroots activism, and cultural shifts.
Sparking the Revolution With Education
There was a time when, for a mother, watching her daughter go to school with books in hand was a rare sight – almost unimaginable just a few decades ago. Female literacy rates in the 1980s were less than 30%. Women were confined to their homes without a voice, and their contributions were unappreciated.
The table started to turn dramatically during the 1990s when education, particularly for girls, became a national priority. Government initiatives such as free textbooks, tuition subsidies, stipends, and nationwide enrolment drives rapidly surged female literacy rates and now exceed 75%. In some places, girls’ enrolment in primary school surpasses boys’.
The impact rippled through the workforce as well, with women now making up 36.61% of the total labour force – a significant jump from 4% in the 1980s. The ready-made garments (RMG) sector, the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy worth USD 38.48 billion in revenue, employs over 53% of women – a change made possible by their education, enabling them to read, write, and handle manufacturing duties.
With this, education was able to place them in decision-making roles in their own homes and families, ensuring their autonomy and delaying child marriage drastically as women were able to decide for themselves. Not only that, they slowly began to participate in household financial decisions, shaping their families’ economic future.
Beyond family, education opened doors for women in governance, law, and administration – fields that were once overwhelmingly male-dominated. In 2023, 20.9% of Bangladesh’s parliamentarians were women, which, while still a low figure, is a sharp increase from 2% in the early 1990s. Educated women now hold key positions as secretaries, judges, and directors in government agencies.
They are not far behind in business either. Around 24.6% of all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh were owned by women in 2020, with 2.8 million of those businesses being female-owned, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
Beyond the stats, education has transformed societal norms, challenging long-held prejudices and increasing women’s presence in every sector of Bangladesh. Educated mothers are nurturing the next generation of progressive minds, ensuring that the movement toward gender equality continues.
While there are still many obstacles to overcome, one reality is certain – education has been and will continue to be the most powerful catalyst behind the advancement of women in Bangladesh.
Choosing Family, Health and Future
As education continues paving the way for women’s empowerment, one of the major turning points in their success has been the gradual development of healthcare and family support systems, shaping their capacity to make educated decisions about their future, family, and well-being.
Bangladesh has made significant improvements in maternal health, childcare awareness, and reproductive well-being, allowing women to balance their duties in ways that support their goals. While keeping family structure at the core, the evolving economic and social landscapes have made women’s health, happiness, and contributions to the country’s advancement a priority. With that in mind, the Bangladesh government began prioritising mother and child health, ensuring that women had access to key healthcare services, prenatal care, and medical consultations, resulting in a dramatic reduction in maternal mortality rates from 784 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1985 to 123 in 2020.
With better health, knowledge, and balanced responsibilities, women are now more conscious about determining the course of their lives with abundant resources for health, diet, and medical support. Today, many are pursuing education, jobs, and business side by side while also taking care of their families and communities. This transformation is evident in the workforce and governance decision-making, with women’s participation in different sectors increasing every year.
AS EDUCATION CONTINUES PAVING THE WAY FOR WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT, ONE OF THE MAJOR TURNING POINTS IN THEIR SUCCESS HAS BEEN THE GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEMS, SHAPING THEIR CAPACITY TO MAKE EDUCATED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, FAMILY, AND WELL-BEING.
From Borrowers to Bosses
While healthcare and education were strengthening women’s autonomy, another silent revolution was taking place – the emergence of financial inclusion. In the late 1970s, Professor Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank pioneered microfinance, providing modest, collateral-free loans to rural women, revolutionising their economic situation. Women now make up 90% of microcredit borrowers in Bangladesh, and many have started startups in the agricultural sector, apparel industry, and poultry farming, transforming themselves from dependents to contributors to the economy.
Having financial security enables one to make decisions. Women today are increasingly running digital companies, actively engaging in supply chains, and owning 24.6% of SMEs. With over 40% of women-led enterprises operating online, the growth of e-commerce, digital banking, and social media entrepreneurship has further breached barriers. The advent of digital technology has made it possible for educated women to work from home and beyond through opportunities for content production, online teaching, and outsourcing.
Hashtags, Hustle, and Her Success
Beyond business, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have become not only instruments for commerce but also spaces where women’s voices are amplified. They have become more than digital rooms for conversation; they are tools for activism and driving social change. For example, the global #MeToo movement also touched Bangladeshi women, evolving into #MeTooBangladesh and fueling national discussions. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of social media platforms is the different support groups that cater specifically to women, offering them safe spaces to express their voices, discuss controversial issues and taboos, and bring about positive change.
Even in arts and media, the landscape is changing. The one-dimensional depiction of women as only homemakers and victims of injustice waiting to be saved by male heroes has been replaced by strong, career-driven female characters. Traditional gender norms have been challenged by films, dramas, and telefilms like Rehana Maryam Noor, and books by female activists like Selina Hossain, opening the stage for fresh perspectives on women’s rights.
THE POWER OF GRASSROOTS MOVEMENTS TO ALTER CULTURAL PERCEPTIONS AND SUBVERT LONG-STANDING GENDER STEREOTYPES IS WHAT MAKES THEM SO INFLUENTIAL. BANGLADESHI WOMEN ARE NO LONGER JUST BENEFICIARIES OF CHANGE. THEY ARE DRIVING IT.
From Home to Streets to Systems
Although arts, media, and internet platforms have been instrumental in amplifying women’s voices, it was the grassroots movements that played a major role in bringing social and legal advancements. Women in Bangladesh have spearheaded movements advocating for women’s and labour rights, pushing for legal reform, and driving systematic change in governance since the 1980s. Protests by female garment workers from the 1980s to the 2000s helped establish safeguards in the RMG industry, securing fair wages, maternity leave, and safety regulations. Moreover, female-centric organisations strengthened women’s legal protections by influencing anti-sexual harassment and domestic abuse legislation.
Beyond demonstrations, organisations like BRAC and Naripokkho have provided shelters, legal assistance, and leadership development. Rural women’s cooperatives have empowered women to take charge of financial strategy and local administration. The power of grassroots movements to alter cultural perceptions and subvert long-standing gender stereotypes is what makes them so influential. Bangladeshi women are no longer just beneficiaries of change. They are driving it.
Globally, Bangladesh’s involvement in UN Women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and international development initiatives have been crucial in shaping regional gender equality policies. As more women study and work overseas, their exposure to different work cultures is fueling their desire for equal pay, leadership positions, and legislative reform in their home country.
WOMEN NOW MAKE UP 90% OF MICROCREDIT BORROWERS IN BANGLADESH, AND MANY HAVE STARTED STARTUPS IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, APPAREL INDUSTRY, AND POULTRY FARMING, TRANSFORMING THEMSELVES FROM DEPENDENTS TO CONTRIBUTORS TO THE ECONOMY.
The Battle Is Far From Over
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, the visionary behind BRAC, once said, “Women are the best managers in the world because they manage poverty.” Indeed, the women of Bangladesh have done far more than manage survival. They have redefined what is possible. However, true gender equality is still a work in progress. The biggest facilitators continue to be education, financial inclusion, and digital empowerment, but social change and policy enforcement must go hand in hand.
The battle is far from over, but the progress is undeniable. Bangladeshi women are not just shattering stereotypes – they are rewriting history with every educated girl, female-led business, and voices raised for equality.
