In the continued development of our country, in terms of demography, perhaps none are more traditionally excluded than our rural women. Constricted by even more egregious conservative patriarchal values than usual, rural women don’t even get to exercise basic rights such as mobility let alone education.
Clearly this status quo needs to be demolished.
However, a good number of non-government initiatives are helping transform the lives of rural women in Bangladesh. Initiatives such as the Women Business Centre is helping the women of Bagerhat become bona fide business owners.
Women are not only the backbone of a family but a whole nation because it can be argued, as we have witnessed the women of this country selflessly contribute their blood and sweat for the continued development of Bangladesh. A good example of this would be our RMG industry, where an overwhelming number of employees comprises women.
However, that the majority of these women -- who have literally been the ones on whose labour and hard work the country has prospered over the years -- lacked the freedom to make their own decisions about their own hard-earned money is indicative of just how much work remains to be done when it comes to empowering our women.
And this culture of oppressive misogyny extends even further to our rural regions, where education is still sorely lacking in all spheres of life.
It is not enough for our country to rely on NGOs to help our rural women.
The current regime has done more to advance the cause of women empowerment than perhaps any other government in the past, but it is time that such endeavours took into account our rural women as well.
Lifting up our women is a national responsibility that we all must participate in.
