Women’s Contribution towards social change

“A woman is the full circle.
Within her is the power to
create, nurture and transform”

Women in Bangladesh face huge discrimination in all aspects of life. There are approximately 55 million women in Bangladesh, relatively half of the country’s entire population. Low literacy rates, low political participation, low labor participation, and conservative practice of purdah (women cannot leave their home unless accompanied by a male family member) have all led to the unequal status of women and gross levels of discrimination.

However, since the early 1990’s women have made significant improvements in their status and women’s rights and issues are at the forefront of debate in Bangladesh and around the world.

Literacy rates, political participation, and the labor and economic role of women are three areas that are a focus for improvement.



Concept of social change

Social change means the structural transformation of political, social and economic systems and institutions to create a more equitable and just society


Identity & Role of Women in society

Until the mid-eighties of the twentieth century, a Bangladeshi woman’s sole identity and basic achievements were weighed with very conservative balances.

Her role was
• confined within the territories of her husband’s household
• to be a good wife to her husband
• And a good mother to her children.



However,

• Household expenditure and, schooling of children, investment of savings, and so forth were not to be her concerns.
• No bank account
• And financial matters were not discussed with her.
• not to voice any opinion

• In the past, women like Empress Razia Sultana, Mughal Queen Noor Jahan, Queen of Natore, Bhagvati, Begum Rokeya and the women of the Tagore family, Nehru family and the women revolutionaries of the Swadeshi Movement during the British Raj came out of their usual home making role.


• They influenced society, education, politics and economics and ultimately made history.


Women’s Contribution towards social change:

• Despite the historical and persistent discrimination against women, the situation is improving. Many of the gaps are slowly narrowing.
• Interestingly, both of the posts of the Prime Minister and the leader of opposition are hold by the two women of this society.
• Even in the home there is evidence that women are having more influence. A (BIDS,1996) survey claims that between 1990 and 1995 the proportion of women reporting that men dominated household decisions on house purchases fell from 36% to 27%.
• Some of these changes reflect broader movements in society. More women whether pushed by the poverty or pulled by opportunity, are working outside home and gaining greater independence both moral and monetary (UN, 1997).


• At the end of the twentieth century, average women of Bangladesh are rapidly overcoming social, cultural and corporate barriers and acquiring important positions in national, private and international sectors. They are also generating huge foreign currency through garment exporting sectors and export processing zones (BGMEA, 1999). They are becoming self-sufficient through Grameen Bank type of policies of micro-credit without any collateral.

• These movements are changing the traditional roles and reshaping modern roles for the women of the country. One of the major changes is witnessed in fund management where average middle class and formerly poor women are voicing their opinions in terms of profit and loss, both at home and outside of homes. There has been a dramatic change in behavioral practice relating to family structure.

• After the rise of employment of the women in government, in business and in industry, particularly in garments and electronic assembly industries, there has been a rise in the number of female entrepreneur.
• Qualified, competent and deserving women are coming up with their own projects and competing with their male counterparts on equal terms


Role of NGO’s


Non-Government organizations play a vital role in the intellectual, economical, and physical development of our women. The target group of the world famous NGO GRAMEEN BANK is the women folk of rural Bangladesh. All other major Non Governmental Organization’s including BRAC, PROSHIKA are primarily concerned with the development of women.


Case Study -1

Asmat, Grameen Bank member for ten years, owner of milk-giving cows, currently building grocery store in Savar, mother of two.

She has been with Grameen Bank for over 9 years. Since she first entered the Bank, she have made a house, bought two cows, provided adequately for her children and have been able to send them to school. her life has become much better. She is now building a grocery store in the center of her village-town.



Case Study-2


Monsura Begum was destitute when she received her first loan. Her husband left her when she became pregnant, and therefore she is a single-parent. She used the first loan to deal in oil, soap and groceries. She saved the resulting profits over a period of three years. With the additional help of further loans, she bought a sewing machine at the end of these three years. She had learnt to sew in the mission. Now, she became self-employed and sewed for the whole locality, for the market and for the clothing factories. Sometimes, also free of charge for very poor people in the area. In 1977, she used her seventh loan to acquire her own house. She is now saving for the education for her son, who is now eight years old, and to buy him a plot of land.



Other activities of Grameen Bank

By means of a kind of social constitution from the Grameen Bank, which comprises of 16 points, Monsura Begum's whole life has changed in a positive sense. At training sessions for these 16 points, Grameen customers primarily learn things about daily life: how to plant vegetables, and why one should not live from rice alone, how to build a toilet, that water should be boiled before drinking, how to build a fountain etc.

Case study-3

Jagoni is 55 years old and her husband is a disabled person. Jagoni lives in a remote village of Jhikargacha Thana of Jessore District, where Rural Reconstruction Centre (RRC) is working. By occupation she is beggar and she was looking for opportunity to get out from this begging occupation. Getting motivation from the Field Organizer under the Financial Services of the Poorest Project (FSP Project : an experimental project of PKSF for the hardcore poor) she took a credit amounting Tk. 1000 and started rice trading. She buys rice from the market and sells in the village. Now she makes profit around Tk. 15 to Tk. 20 daily from her business. Jagoni also sells puffed rice, which she prepares by herself. Jagoni joined in Hawoa Mohila Samity organized by RRC on 31 December 2002 and after 12 weeks of enrollment, she applied for a loan. Jagoni plans to take higher amount of loan and increase her business. She is grateful to RRC for contributing to the positive change in her life. Jagoni selling rice, no more begging




Many little things, in many little places, by many little people, can change the world.

By overall judgment as a final point we can say, The status of women still has a long way to go, but they have made several gains in achieving many things In spite of these achievements, the majority of women in Bangladesh are rapidly overcoming social, cultural and corporate barriers and acquiring important positions in national, private and international sectors.

Women's cooperatives are being developed. They are now homemaker and breadwinner as well. So the women are in ‘double employment and now they have much less time than before for themselves. It is argued that Bangladesh would benefit by bringing the tremendous untapped resources of its female population into the development process.