The continued empowerment of women has been a core focus of Bangladesh's overall development ever since our independence. And while we are now seeing more women than ever in the workplace, there is still one realm where women are incredibly underrepresented: Governance.
Even though women's participation increased in politics and governance, only around 20% are represented in the parliament according to statistics from last year. This is hardly a percentage that would make any kind of difference at all when it comes to women empowerment.
To that end, we agree with the speakers of a recent workshop, Advancing Women's Leadership in Politics, in expressing that a significant increase in supporting women to aspire for and win elections is needed to achieve greater gender parity, not just in the context of Bangladesh's next parliamentary elections but for the future of our governance in general.
As things stand, women with reserved seats in parliament themselves face far too many challenges and push-backs, which acts as a deterrent for aspirants seeking to join the fray leading to such low numbers.
Clearly, there is something incredibly wrong with the status quo.
Which is a matter of great shame given that the highest seat of power in Bangladesh is occupied by a woman. As the veritable symbol of our national progress, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina exemplifies just how important it is for women to be empowered and just how much their political representation matters.
More women are now contributing to our economy than at any other point in our history, that much is true, but equally incontrovertible is the fact that the future of women empowerment lies in their increased participation in governance.
On that front, we need to do a lot better.
