Despite their contributions to the country's political movements, democratic struggles and social progress, women in Bangladesh remain significantly underrepresented -- something that continues to raise an uncomfortable but necessary question about equal representation in our political landscape.
This is not merely a question of numbers; it is a deeper question of which voices are being heard and whose interests are truly being represented.
The resignation of NCP Joint Convener Samanta Shermeen has brought the issue into sharper focus. Her concerns over women's participation and decisions taken without proper consultation point to a problem: Women may be welcomed into political organizations, but excluded when important decisions are made.
The latest findings make the scale of this failure even more difficult to ignore. A Transparency International Bangladesh study found that only two of 32 parties surveyed had met the 33% target for women in their central committees. In the 2026 parliamentary election, women won just seven general seats, and their share of directly elected MPs fell to 2.36% -- the lowest in five elections.
While the law requires parties to work towards at least 33% women's representation in their committees by 2030, progress remains slow. Patriarchal party cultures and weak political commitment cannot continue to serve as excuses.
Reserved parliamentary seats must not become a substitute for creating pathways for women to contest and win general seats.
Political parties must move beyond token appointments. Women need an equal role in shaping policies, selecting candidates, and determining leadership, and party structures must also be safer, so women can participate without intimidation or discrimination.
A democracy cannot claim to represent its population while leaving half of it on the margins of political power. If women are present in campaigns and movements but absent from the rooms where decisions are made, something is fundamentally wrong.
It's time we ask: Where are the women and, more importantly, when will political parties make room for them as equal decision-makers?
