Unsung and unrewarded as ever

It did strike a note of dismay and left many a head scratching with a sense of unease, perhaps disbelief too, to see how much women contribute to the country's economy only to be left utterly unsung and unrewarded. An astonishing revelation to this effect was made in a study conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), commissioned by the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). The study titled 'Estimating Women's Contribution to the Economy: Case of Bangladesh' showed that the quantified value of unpaid household works that are performed by Bangladeshi women, amounts to as much as Tk 5,948.45 billion, equivalent to an astounding 76.8 per cent of the country's gross domestic product or GDP (in real terms in the last fiscal). True, in the absence of any suitable measuring tool, this aspect of women's role in the country's economy has never been brought to light.
What actually kept the plain fact in the dark for so long is, no doubt, the age-old imperious male mindset that barely considers women's unpaid activities worth any mentionable economic value. As a result, this mammoth contribution has remained outside the traditional framework of GDP calculation. In this connection, the study report has highlighted the need on the part of the government to focus on changing the calculation practice of national accounting so that women's unaccounted activities are reflected in the GDP. It is predictable enough that since the large chunk of women's unpaid activities remains unaccounted for, unmeasured and are thereby untraceable in the economy, the result is a likely misleading macroeconomic policy formulation. Worse, this, in all probability, also constitutes a case for discrimination against women in society.
The study is an eye-opener in that it has also been able to delve deep into certain areas that traditional thinking scarcely takes note of. A female, the study mentions, spends thrice as much time on unpaid activities than that of a male in a household. She spends around eight hours on unpaid activities a day while a male spends around three hours. As a member of a household, she undertakes around 13 unpaid chores daily while a male does less than three.
That a good deal of such activities is done voluntarily, inspired by the innate traits of duty and love for one's family, is unquestionable. But what is important is that while these activities, on the one hand, are not recognised, much of the works are also made difficult, on the other. This is largely so because of the absence of minimum facilitating services that otherwise could have eased the conduct of such works. It is this lack of empathy and a sense of collective indifference and neglect that leave the Bangladeshi womenfolk weak and unempowered, susceptible to shocks and maltreatment of all hues day in and day out. Needless to say, all these spring from gross discrimination. The study, one must agree, is a pioneering one in as much as it aims to create awareness about women's contribution to the economy as well as sensitising the media to portray women in a manner they truly deserve.