Gender discrimination and exclusion in Bangladesh Shireen Huq - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Gender discrimination and exclusion in Bangladesh

Shireen Huq Naripokkho Naripokkho

The poor, and in particular the rural poor are l d d l it d & di i i t d i t excluded, exploited & discriminated against.

• They are the most frequently excluded

They are the most frequently excluded from development activities, growth centres markets information highways centres, markets, information highways, service facilities, etc

• Physically distant

remote and

• Physically distant – remote, and

structurally peripheral Th h littl i f ti i ht

• They have little or no information on rights

and opportunities

• Chronic insecurity most serious affliction of
• Chronic insecurity most serious affliction of

the poor Ch i i it t t i

• Chronic insecurity prevents enterprise,

asset formation and above all the d l t f ll ti id tit d development of a collective identity and interest

Poor women are the most voiceless, most disadvantaged, most excluded and most disadvantaged, most excluded and most insecure

• Discrimination against women widespread

Discrimination against women widespread and systemic

• Discrimination reinforced by social norms
• Discrimination reinforced by social norms

and religious values W h littl k l d b t i ht

• Women have little knowledge about rights

and least able to express, assert or claim th them

Labour Market Labour Market

• Highly segregated along gender lines

Highly segregated along gender lines

• Clear evidence of wage discrimination

against women against women

• Entry of large numbers of women in to

l b f h t h d k t labour force has not changed market structures in favour of women

Class prejudice, urban bias & i li d ll sexism alive and well

• Several decades of policy attention and

Several decades of policy attention and special programmes for women’s development has borne some fruit development has borne some fruit

• Women’s conditions have improved over

time time

• But their position remains subordinate to

men

Livelihood struggles of poor women – i ti i h f i migration in search of income

• Remittance one of the most important sources of

revenue & foreign exchange for Bangladesh

• Bulk of migrant workers are male, number of

f b t i ifi t women few but significant

• Cases of abuse of migrant women workers led

t t l i d ’ to temporary clamping down on women’s migration

• Women returnees face greater problems in re
• Women returnees face greater problems in re-

integration

Some small steps that can go a long way….backward linkages and support systems to ensure a rightful place for i th l b k t women in the labour market

• Government to invest in safe migration for

women & identify new markets women & identify new markets

• Women migrant workers need support from

Embassy staff, recruitment agencies, employers y , g , p y

• Women workers need info on rights and

negotiating skills

• Transnational support groups can influence

buyers, employers, agents.

• Increase the pool of women workers with
• Increase the pool of women workers with

skills and basic education D d t id l t

• Donors need to consider long term

planning as social and cultural barriers t k ti take time

• Government and donors need to shift

away from quick fixes to considering complex, multi-sectoral packages with long time frames in order to address discrimination and exclusion.

• With global recession making its way in to

With global recession making its way in to the developing world, development assistance has an even more important assistance has an even more important role to play in order to ensure that it will not be business as usual, and that the not be business as usual, and that the excluded will not forever remain excluded. And even more so if the quantum of ODA d e e

• e so

t e qua tu

• O

goes down.