BE Magazine

44
Women’s Empowerment
Women workforce in the services
sector is visibly increasing. Some
expanding services sectors such as
information technology (IT) and
finance are employing increasing
numbers of women.
Women have made landmark
breakthroughs in specialized
professions. Adding to the list of
women doctors, engineers, scientists,
professors, scholars and development
leaders, now Bangladesh can boast
about women’s accomplishments
in comparatively more courageous
professions like woman Army
general, all-women police team in UN
Peacekeeping force, and commercial
flights by all-women crew, including
security personnel and groundhandling
staff.
For many potential working women
in Bangladesh, self-employment
is a suitable choice for getting
involved in occupation. Women
entrepreneurship actually started
to take off after the Liberation
of Bangladesh. Later on, women
across Bangladesh began to take
entrepreneurial initiatives during
the 1980s and 90s. Many women in
Bangladesh have achieved success in
their business. “Women in Business”
or Women entrepreneurship is, more
recently, a vital economic scheme.
Bangladesh claimed the status of the
most gender equal country in South
Asia in 2018, for the fourth time
consecutively. As per Global Gender
Gap Report prepared by World
Economic Forum (WEF), Bangladesh
has closed over 72% of its overall
gender gap. WEF determines the
Global Gender Gap Index by assigning
points for economic participation and
opportunity, educational attainment,
health and survival, and political
empowerment. With women on
the positions of the prime minister,
the leader of the opposition and the
speaker in parliament, Bangladesh
stood out as the fifth most gender
equal country, in terms of political
empowerment, in the world.
Challenges persist nonetheless.
Discrimination against women is
widespread in the society and often
deep-rooted in traditional outlook.
Women often face domestic violence.
Crimes like eave teasing and violent
rape are not uncommon. Child
marriage persists, particularly in the
lower economic strata.
As per Global
Gender
Gap Report
prepared
by World
Economic
Forum
(WEF),
Bangladesh
has closed
over 72% of
its overall
gender gap.
Monthly business magazine
December, 2019