Gender equality vs gender pay gap

It is a good piece of news that Bangladesh is the most gender-equal country in South Asia. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2023, the country has led in every index of gender equality among all of our neighbouring countries with 72.2 points. Bangladesh is reportedly followed by Bhutan with the score of 68.2. The scores obtained by Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and India are 66.3, 65.9, 64.9 and 64.3 respectively. Pakistan with the score of 57.5 and Afghanistan with 40.5 find themselves in deplorable positions. However, much of the joy of becoming the most gender-equal country in this region fades away, when we see that gender disparity is still prominent in our country. This report measures if men and women around the globe are provided with equal opportunities or not. The efforts to empower women in society, particularly in education, are responsible for the country's current position in gender equality. However, we have to go a long way in this regard and attain gender parity as much as possible.
Unfortunately in our rural society, girls are still treated as inferior beings compared to their male counterparts. Women in villages have little knowledge about their rights and access to opportunities to gain financial freedom. Even educated and employed women hold little authority to make decisions about their lives in some places. Workplaces have failed to accommodate women in key positions. By and large, women earn about half as much as men in the country. This gender gap is only exacerbated in the informal market where, for example, a male construction worker can make one and a half times more than his female counterpart. Studies show that a Bangladeshi woman earns on an average 77 cents compared with a dollar for men. Importantly, we are talking about the same job, working the same number of hours.
The government, non-governmental organisations, and civil society must take comprehensive action to bridge the gender gap that still exists in Bangladesh. Without empowering women and including them in the workforce, we will remain unable to achieve any form of progress. Education must be made accessible and affordable for all girls and patriarchal norms should be taken apart to improve gender parity.

Fariha Tabassum Piya,
Student of Department of Management,
University of Dhaka, Dhaka,
[email protected]