BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

INTEGRATING WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH

Author: Monzima Haque

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2015v36n1a1

ABSTRACT

The global movement for the recognition of women’s rights as human rights attempted to identify those rights crucial to the well being of women. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and other subsequent assertion of equal rights to men and women in spite of their sexual identity are very crucial in this regard. Conventional wisdom suggests that the progress towards equality for men and women has not been satisfactory in developing countries like Bangladesh where women are subject to exclusion as a result of the ‘social- economic-political’ as well as ideological privileges of men evident in the patriarchal structure of the society. The paper argues that although women’s presence and participation in the development process of Bangladesh have not been adequate, the initiatives at various levels to address this inadequacy and progressive movements of women in diverse sectors of Bangladesh have brought in a number of affirmative changes. With this aim, the paper attempts to review the current status of women in the political, economic and social development of the country and examines the strengths and limitations of integration of women in mainstream development structure.