Women in administration: The challenges

On the shelves of BRAC village libraries, popularly known as Gonokendra', you can find books on various subjects that aim at satisfying the thirst for knowledge of the village people. Various publishers continue to send books to the officials who are in charge of these libraries. The   number of these libraries has now reached about three thousand. In the piles of books waiting to be selected to get included in the Gonokendras, Jonoproshashone Nari (Women in public administration) appeared to be an interesting  one. Jishan Ara Arafunnessa depicts in the 300-page book, divided into nine chapters, her close observation of and research findings on the problems and prospects of women who may find a position in the public administration of Bangladesh.
It is a recent experience to see women employed in the administration cadre in the civil service of Bangladesh, but it is not an isolated one. It is a part of the usual events that nowadays occur in the world keeping pace with the trend of women empowerment. Although the equal rights of men and women are not followed fully anywhere in the world, the West obviously goes far ahead in this regard. Still, women's participation and representation in the highest positions at workplaces is lower all over the world in general, and in developing countries in particular. Women are not actually prepared to occupy the highest positions in the administration, since their number turns out to be lower in the field of higher education than their male counterparts. When their number proves thinner in higher education, obviously we cannot expect them to see in the highest tiers of public administration. Of course, the scenario has started changing with the passage of time.
Once home was the ideal place for women in this part of the globe. Their typical life has been characterised by deprivation and neglect until the 19th century. In the sub-continent in the decade of the fifties in the 20th century, women's participation in and affiliation to development work has been observed, and has been devised on women development principles. The Western women's organisations clamoured for women's participation in previously male-dominated works in developing countries in the last decade of the sixties. The UN declared 'International Women's Year' in 1975, and also 'International Women's Decade' and invited all its member-states to ensure women's participation in all development activities.  
By virtue of the indomitable will and strong commitment, women became successful in coming out of the four walls to take up the challenges of life in the administration job.  Of course, it has created some social problems. These problems have been identified in the book through questionnaires, observations and experiences of the researcher and author. It will help form ideas regarding the personal, familial, socio-economic and official environment or condition of women administrators. The basic problems women face every day include (i) workplace, (ii) non-cooperation of males, (iii) familial problems  and (iv) outlook of male counterparts and social attitude.
Among the problems women face at the workplace, the transfer problem comes first. They feel helpless facing the reality, and without having the scope for analysing the family situation they get transferred. Next, the problem goes in the form of one related to the residence, which accompanies transfer. After transfer, women don't get a congenial accommodation. Ten per cent women think they face problems getting adjusted with the new accommodation due to frequent transfers.  They find it difficult to look after their family-members, which is also a significant part of their duties. This uncomfortable situation arises as it compels them to keep their wards and husbands away from their workplace. So, women occupying higher positions in service, alongside male administrators, wish to get special preference when they are transferred.
While talking to women belonging to the administration cadre who took part in settlement and survey training, they said they had faced obstacles from the rural people. The local people did not allow them to enter their crop fields. Again, they faced obstacles on the roads and railway stations in running mobile courts. However, they have established themselves in the profession by resolving problems judiciously and with passion.  Until 1982, these fields were for males only. When women got into administration, many male counterparts could not take it easily. And fifty-four per cent women think that they don't get the required amount of cooperation from their male counterparts. The study also reveals that the senior male officials help their junior colleagues, whereas the equivalent position holders don't want to cooperate. Sometimes, the female officials have to digest these irregularities meted out to them by their male counterparts.  
The wave of empowerment in the institutional workplaces started in the nineteen eighties. In developed nations, it has been a story of several decades and its repercussion has reached the developing countries. As an upshot of it, the women of Bangladesh started entering the administration cadre in the first half of the nineteen eighties. Women were allowed to enter the administration cadre after a long administrative restructuring and reform in 1982 which is considered as an epoch-making venture. In that year, 13 women were enrolled through an open competitive examination and 42, through special examination, were enrolled in the administration cadre. Now the number is going to touch several thousand. Though this number has increased every year since its inception, it has not yet reached the expected level. The women have started showing better performance compared to their male counterparts. Of course, the women who belong to this category hail from eight urban areas and they are from second- or third-generation families. Their parents are better educated or are gainfully employed people than those of the parents of male counterparts.
These women in the administration face the same organisational, professional and psychological problem like other countries. These obstacles come from within their self, endemic social culture and from the close family members such as husbands. These female professionals are first wife, mother or sister, then administrator. They try to go ahead through these multi-diversified conflicts. But the desire to face the challenges gets stronger because of their dedication to profession and aversion for escapism. It was a positive social evolution. If it had not happened, the brilliant and brighter performance shown by female administrators would not have been possible.
In spite of these phenomena, it is not still an unmixed blessing for the women cadre. The responsibility to look after children, the continuous proliferation of single family, satisfying the needs of family members,   shouldering the responsibilities of various household works are the realities going with their lives along with the official responsibilities. There is the particular and traditional mindset of the male-dominated society, and hostilities running from the most junior to senior-most positions, that sometimes drive them to take decisions inwardly and silently to leave the job for finding absolute peace in their families. But in the next moment, they get solace and inspiration to continue their job facing the challenges of the real life. And today we find many women in higher administrative positions with many success stories.
The writer is Programme Manager, BRAC Education Programme, and vice-president, Bangladesh English Language                     Teachers Association (BELTA).                          [email protected]