6.0pc of cabinet members women

The 13th Parliament has begun its journey with women making up 6.0 per cent of the cabinet, although only 2.36 per cent of elected parliamentarians are women.
Three women - all new faces - were assigned portfolios in the 50-member cabinet and council of state ministers on Tuesday.
Afroza Khanam Rita, elected from Manikganj-3, has been appointed Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, becoming the first woman to head this ministry in Bangladesh.
Shama Obaed, elected from Faridpur-2, has been made State Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Farzana Sharmin Putul, elected from Natore-1, has been appointed State Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare.
A total of 85 women contested the election, but only seven were elected from their respective constituencies.
In previous parliaments, 14 women were elected to the 9th Parliament, 20 to the 10th, 22 to the 11th, and 20 to the 12th Parliament.
According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), women's representation in the 13th Parliament stands at only 2.36 per cent - half the level of the 9th Parliament elected in 2008 and the lowest among the last four elections.
Lipika Biswas, a gender and governance analyst, said the 12th Parliament initially had a similarly low number of elected women in the cabinet, though the figure later increased through by-elections.
"This year, the BNP secured a major share of women's votes, so expectations for stronger female representation in the new government were high," she said.
She added that it is frustrating that women's representation in the cabinet remains low and is unlikely to improve unless a legal quota framework is introduced to ensure more nominations for women.
Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, Director of Outreach and Communication, described the representation of women in the 13th cabinet as moderate, noting that it exceeds the 5.0 per cent benchmark set in the July Charter.

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