Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) on Tuesday called for greater recognition of women’s unpaid domestic and caregiving labor and a fairer distribution of household responsibilities at an awareness event in Dhaka.
The program, titled “Time for Change: Engaging Youth to Transform Unpaid Care Norms”, was held at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmad Chowdhury Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Dhaka.
Speakers said women in Bangladesh spend significantly more time on unpaid household and care work than men, limiting their access to education, paid employment, and public life. Women’s labor force participation stands at around 36 percent, compared to over 80 percent for men. Closing this gap is essential for meaningful economic development, they said.
Professor Dr. Atonu Rabbani of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka said the earnings gap between men and women is relatively small before marriage or the birth of a first child but widens sharply afterward.
He cited Denmark, where the income gap between spouses widens to 29 percent within five years of the birth of a first child. In Sweden, the figure is around 20 percent. In Bangladesh, he said, the challenge is even more pronounced.
“More than asking what kind of country we want to see in 20 years, the real question is what kind of children we want to raise,” Professor Rabbani said. “Raising children well is extraordinarily expensive and time-intensive. And when a family has to decide who steps back from the workforce to take on that role, biological and social pressures almost always mean it’s the woman.”
He added that many male workers have little choice but to work more than 12 hours a day, making an equitable division of household labor nearly impossible and ultimately pushing women out of the workforce. He stressed that awareness alone will not suffice, saying structural and systemic issues must be addressed.
Tawfiqul Islam Khan, IRBD Coordinator at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said policy must reflect people’s actual needs.
“Countries where women’s labor force participation exceeds 70 percent are leading in development,” he said. “Bangladesh remains at around 35 percent. You simply cannot have real economic growth when half the population is left out.”
Mohiuddin Mujahid Mahi, President of the Dhaka University Journalists' Association, highlighted the media’s role in challenging the belief that men belong in the workforce while women belong at home.
“That belief is psychologically hardwired into our society,” he said. “The media has a real opportunity to help dismantle it.”
The event featured a mime performance, documentary screening, open dialogue, art exhibition, and award ceremony, with participation from students, researchers, teachers, journalists, and artists. Organizers said the initiative aims to engage young people — particularly young men — in reframing care work as a shared social responsibility.