Inheritance laws still problem in Bangladesh: Muhith

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FE Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith Saturday said inheritance laws like wrong fatwa and Shariah laws are still problems in Bangladesh to empower the women and ensure equality. "But I am hopeful that in a short period of time the inheritance laws will be eliminated," he said in a World Development Report launching ceremony Saturday. The World Bank (WB) has launched its "World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development" in Dhaka with the Bank's Country Director in Bangladesh Ms. Ellen Goldstein in the chair. AMA Muhith said: "We have managed to formulate a gender budget so that women in Bangladesh could be empowered and take part in the development work equally like men." The government is fully committed to women empowerment and it also thinks of equal social rights for them, he added. It is imperative to engage women in the industrial and productive jobs to eliminate poverty as well as maintain growth of the economy, the finance minister said. The WB development report said women are the victims of gender-based violence at home. "The percentage of currently married women aged between 15 and 49 who have experienced violence by their husbands in the 12 months prior to the survey is as high as 30 in Bangladesh," it said. The report, however, showed some prospective actions and outcomes by the countries, saying there has been a sharp and consistent improvement over time in life expectancy for both men and women worldwide due to declining child and maternal mortality rates. Female life expectancy at birth in Bangladesh increased from around 46.7 years in 1960 to 68.9 years in 2009, the WB report said. The WB report said in last 30 years, 552 million women joined the labour forces and today 4 out of 10 workers globally are female. In terms of income, the women are in the bottom line in the developing countries as they are still being paid lower than the male. In Bangladesh, a woman earns only 12 cents compared to a dollar income by a man while the earning in Mexico is the highest, 80 cents, the WB report said. "Countries that create better opportunities and conditions for women and girls can raise productivity, improve outcomes for children, make institutions more representative, and advance development prospects for all," said Sudhir Shetty, co-Director of the WB development report, at the function.