Bangladesh has expanded girls' education, increased women's participation in the workforce, and seen women emerge as leaders in different sectors. Yet women remain strikingly absent from leadership positions—not because they lack talent, but because structural barriers continue to hold them back, speakers at a roundtable in Dhaka said.
The discussion, titled "Rise & Lead: Breaking Barriers, Sharing Power and Advancing Women's Leadership in Bangladesh," held on Thursday, brought together dozens of policymakers, academics, business leaders and development practitioners to examine why women continue to struggle to reach decision-making roles despite decades of progress.
Organised by Oxfam in Bangladesh and Dhaka Tribune under the Onirban–Rise & Lead programme, the event argued that unequal opportunities, discriminatory workplace cultures, inflexible employment practices and the unequal burden of unpaid care work continue to prevent women from advancing into leadership.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare Barrister Farzana Sharmin Putul, the chief guest, said changing laws alone would not be enough.
"Leadership is not a position or title; it is a state of mind. Sustainable development cannot be achieved through laws and institutions alone unless society changes the way it thinks about leadership and equality."
She urged schools and universities to cultivate leadership, self-awareness and mental well-being from an early age, while reaffirming the government's commitment to working with organisations promoting women's leadership.
Presenting findings from the Rise & Lead programme under the theme "Women are ready to lead: Are our workplaces ready to share power?", Mahmuda Sultana, programme director at Oxfam in Bangladesh, and Uma Chatterjee, facilitator at Leadership Lab, Change Mantras, said Bangladesh's economic progress has not translated into equal leadership opportunities for women.
Mahmuda Sultana said many women never reach leadership positions not because they lack competence, but because the system is stacked against them.
"Many capable women are constrained not by a lack of skills but by unequal opportunities, limited confidence and workplace environments that fail to support their growth."
Presenting the programme findings alongside Uma Chatterjee, facilitator at Leadership Lab, Change Mantras, she argued that Bangladesh's economic gains have not translated into equal leadership opportunities for women.
According to World Bank 2025 ILO-modelled estimates presented at the event, women's labour force participation stands at 38.6%, compared with 80.4% for men. The Bangladesh Labour Force Survey 2022 estimated women's participation at 42.8%.
The findings also showed that 96.6% of employed women work in the informal sector, where job security, social protection and career advancement remain limited. Women also perform more than seven times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men, leaving them with less time and fewer opportunities to build careers that lead to leadership.
The programme identified multiple barriers keeping women from senior positions, including discriminatory workplace practices, inflexible work arrangements, unsafe working environments, limited access to mentors and professional networks, stigma surrounding career breaks, unequal distribution of authority and persistent self-doubt reinforced by years of exclusion.
Opening the discussion, Dhaka Tribune News Editor Anando Mostofa said women have repeatedly proved their capabilities across every sector, yet remain underrepresented in leadership because of structural and social barriers rather than a lack of ability.
"The time for debating women's leadership has passed. What we need now is a workplace where opportunities are defined by merit and ability, not gender."
Md. Sariful Islam, Head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy and Media at Oxfam in Bangladesh, moderated the discussion. Roop Sen, facilitator at Change Mantras, also participated in the event.
The Rise & Lead initiative aims to make women's leadership, career reintegration and workplace progression national priorities while encouraging employers, policymakers and development partners to build more inclusive institutions and expand women's participation in decision-making.
