A nationwide opinion poll has found that most of the women in Bangladesh are happy despite all odds.
Asked whether they are happy with their current status of lifestyle, 71.35% of the respondents said yes, 22.90% said no, while 5.75% were not sure about their present condition.
Of those interviewed, nearly 76% of rural women and 66% of urban women gave positive answer to the question.
Conducted by Bangla Tribune, the poll interviewed a total of 4,800 women from across the country on the eve of the International Women’s Day.
With a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 2%, the survey was conducted across the 64 districts in the country on February 22-29.
A total of 600 women were picked from the cities and villages under each of the eight divisional headquarters for the poll.
The interviews were conducted at crowded public places; respondents were selected randomly and the surveyors maintained a 10-minute interval between interviews done with a fixed questionnaire.
Asked if they get sufficient support from their family members in crisis period, 65.33% of women answered yes. On the other hand, 23.19% said they sometimes got family support while 10.94% came up with negative replies.
In reply to the question whether they get the opportunity to choose their professions, 37.92% answered yes while 31.69% said no.
Of the respondents, 63.50% think that they are eligible for any profession while17.98% say they are not and 18.52% think the question is not applicable for them.
Asked whether they were allowed to select their preferred subjects, 66.35% came up with positive replies and 23.29% replied in the negative.
In the economic sphere, women feel that they are playing a vital role as 52.79% women answered that they have full access to the decision-making procedure in their families. On the contrary, 23.29% said they did not have such access.
Nearly 44% women can spend their family wealth for serving their own purpose. On the other hand, 24.52% said they cannot.
Of the interviewees, 66.90% said they are able to make their own decisions regrading spending their own money while 11.79% do not have the authority.
Significantly, 58.02% think that the country has not yet witnessed any mentionable success regarding women empowerment even though women have taken the top-most positions in Bangladesh.
However, some 37.17% opined that the country has achieved much success in terms of women empowerment.
Most of the women said they have been performing very significant role in shaping the future of their children. Nearly 50% of respondents made positive replies while only 10.50% offered negative answers.
Despite all those positive findings, 38.31% said they do not have the authority to visit any preferred place freely. On the other hand, 31.31% said they can visit their preferred places.
Nearly 33% respondents said they have fallen victim to mental torture while some 17% complained of physical torture.
Although Bangladeshi women continue to face numerous challenges, the findings of the opinion poll highlight that the positive thinking of the women of the country would pave the way for building more equitable and decent society.