Gender discrimination: A continuing challenge

Gender discrimination remains a pressing issue worldwide, and Bangladesh is no exception, despite significant progress in recent years. Women living in rural areas, particularly from impoverished households, often lack access or permission to receive a proper education. Instead, they are subjected to child marriages and denied economic independence to alleviate their families' financial burdens. As a result, Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in South Asia and ranks among the top ten countries globally for this practice. Early-married women tend to have lower educational attainment, inferior social standing in their husbands' households, reduced reproductive autonomy, higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, and are more prone to domestic violence.

For those women who do receive education and enter the workforce, systemic discrimination persists in the workplace due to deeply embedded gender stereotypes. Women are often required to work twice, if not three times as hard as men, to achieve promotions while also managing household responsibilities. The gender pay gap, glass ceiling, microaggressions, exclusion from decision-making, sexual harassment, inadequate maternity leave, and lack of daycare facilities are among the most prominent forms of workplace discrimination women face.

Beyond social inequality, gender discrimination also hampers economic growth. Fully harnessing women's potential in the workforce could lead to increased efficiency, productivity, and overall labour supply. Although the government has introduced several regulatory initiatives to combat these issues, their full implementation remains pending. Addressing gender discrimination is essential to ensuring women's safety and advancing economic development by providing equal opportunities for all.

Rumaisha Nowshin Fatema

Student

Department of Accounting and Finance (DAF)

North South University

[email protected]