Increasing freedom around the world, especially women’s freedom, is one of the hallmarks of the current wave of globalization. Some analysts project that this could further intensify and favorably transform societies across the world. The economic and socio-political conditions of women in South Asia are not unique. Within the regions, Sri Lanka emerged as a pioneer of sorts in terms of the process of women empowerment. However, Bangladesh too has made significant strides in recent years. It has outshone some of its South Asian neighbors, including India, as far as women empowerment is concerned. The country’s achievements in this regard are unparalleled in the Muslim world, bar Indonesia.

Using statistical data, this paper compares Bangladesh vis-à-vis South Asia, China and Vietnam to see where it stands in the regional context as far as gender balance, more precisely women empowerment, is concerned. It then identifies the factors that contributed to women empowerment—the primary thrust of this study—in Bangladesh. It also explores how the country’s steady progress in gender-related development indicators could be a critical factor in guiding Bangladesh towards a higher growth trajectory.

While the highly skewed preference for boys over girls continues to amplify the number of ‘missing women’ [the term owes its origin to the economist, A.K. Sen], in Asia, notably in India and China, this preference has sharply declined in Bangladesh in the past three decades, thereby improving the sex ratio in favor of girls.

Based on the available economic literature and anecdotal evidence, we show that women’s access to education played a key role in Bangladesh’s successful population transition. A tripartite effort by the government, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and donor agencies has been the key catalyst in educating the female population of Bangladesh. These efforts have also been extended to making healthcare more accessible for the women in the country.

When it comes to access to employment and earnings, women find better opportunities in Bangladesh than many of their South Asian peers. This is largely due to, among other factors, the meteoric rise of micro-finance industry in the country that generally offers easy access to credit for the poorest of the poor. Moreover, the labour-intensive apparel industry absorbs a large number of young women. As a result, the labour force participation rate of women in Bangladesh is very high compared to most South Asian economies.

Apart from economic factors, Bangladesh’s social and political institutions (such as courts, law and order, civil society, etc.) play a supportive role in protecting women’s rights.

While Bangladesh’s stride towards a gender-balanced society has paid some tangible benefits to the nation, the country has only been able to utilize a part of its female human capital. Moreover, Bangladesh’s success in women’s empowerment is happening at a time when the nation’s demographic window is about to open, with a growing share of females in the working age population.

There exists a nexus between gender equality and economic growth. What is interesting to note, is that the actual growth rates of South Asia and other lagging regions were at least one percentage point lower than their potential growth owing to the gender imbalance. Studies also suggest that the growth impact of education for girls may be greater than the impact for boys. A pioneering study on Bangladesh supports this view. Consequently, Bangladesh’s stride towards a gender-balanced society could be one of the benefactors in the country’s pursuit of higher economic growth.

(As provided by author)