Bangladesh dwarfs (rager højt op over) Pakistan and India in many areas of women status and gender equality, though the picture of their access to reproductive health services, labor markets and decision making is still bleak, said the new “Whispers to Voices: Gender and Social Transformation in Bangladesh” World Bank report.
The report said Bangladesh stands out as a shining new example in South Asia achieving impressive gains in gender equality despite being a poor country.
It said Bangladeshs success in girls education is now well- known. Boys are at risk of being left behind and this could potentially have serious impacts on social and familial cohesion.
The report emphasizes that despite increasing education and declining fertility, womens labor force participation rates are very low although they have doubled in the last 10 years.
Womens employment in South Asia is among the lowest in the world and Bangladesh is at the lower end of the South Asian spectrum.
The report, launched in Dhaka said womens role in decision-making is still small and restricted to the domestic sphere. And low access to land and property is an important part of their low voice in decision-making.
It said less than 10 percent of all women and less than 3 percent of younger women have their names on marital property papers like rental agreement or title to land or a homestead.
Kilde: www.woldbank.org
