Source of the Image: Speak Up (a World Food Program, USA initiative,
works for educating and empowering girls in Bangladesh)
Bangladesh
has made remarkable progress in girls’ education over the past two decades.
More than 95 percent of girls are now enrolled in primary school; however, the enrollment rate at the secondary level is much lower, at only 64.6% (UNICEF, 2022). At the same time, Bangladesh has made significant progress towards achieving gender equality. Such achievements are often celebrated as evidence that investing in girls’ education leads to both economic growth and individual empowerment, which are hallmarks of the “smart economics” approach (Chant, 2016). Proponents argue that
educated girls can earn higher incomes, delay marriage, and participate in the
workforce, contributing to national development. But the truth is much more complicated, and a closer look at the data shows that this story may hide deeper structural inequalities.
Recent findings from the World Bank (2024) indicate that female labor force participation in Bangladesh, while improving relative to other South Asian nations, continues to be significantly lower than that of males. According to the 19th International
Conference of Labor Statisticians (ICLS) definition, only 22 percent of women
of working age are in the labor force, compared to 82 percent of men. This
means about 44 million women and 10 million men are out of the labor force in
Bangladesh. Among young women aged 15–24, nearly one in five is classified as NEET (not in education, employment, or training), compared to 10 percent of young men. There is evidence suggesting that women’s education is one of the most desirable traits reported by husbands, which may partly explain why women complete their education but do not enter the labor force (Buchmann et al. 2023). These figures suggest that completing schooling alone does not guarantee economic participation or empowerment.
Source:
World Bank (2024)
Moser’s
(1993) distinction between practical and strategic gender needs illuminates
this gap. Girls' education programs in Bangladesh often address practical needs, such as providing school materials, separate toilets, safety measures, and menstrual education; however, they rarely tackle strategic needs like mobility constraints, unequal domestic labor, and socially imposed restrictions related to honor and marriage. Consequently, even educated girls may observe their life choices
constrained by the same patriarchal norms their mothers faced. Kabeer (1994)
reminds us that empowerment involves the ability to make meaningful choices,
not just access resources. Without addressing strategic constraints, education risks becoming a tool for instrumentalization rather than fostering productivity.
The labor market adds additional complexity to this situation. Most employed women in Bangladesh are self-employed (64 percent), while only a small share hold wage employment (19 percent) or work unpaid (16 percent), which contrasts sharply with men, nearly half of whom are in wage employment (World Bank, 2024). Even in nonagricultural sectors, women are primarily concentrated in the ready-made garments (RMG) sector, domestic work, tailoring, or education, and there are few opportunities for them in higher-paying professional or managerial roles. Wage employment for women increased from 6 percent in 2005 to 8 percent in 2022, while men’s wage employment rose from 34 percent to 40 percent during the same period (World Bank, 2024). Moreover, wage disparities persist. Women earn roughly three-quarters of what men earn in hourly wages, and even in industries where the number of hours worked is comparable, pay gaps persist, often due to discrimination or the dominance of men in higher-level positions (World Bank, 2024). This widening gender gap underscores the fact that education alone does not lead to equal access to secure, well-paying jobs.
Source:
World Bank (2024)
Social norms also play a critical role in this issue. According to the UNDP Gender Social Norms Index, 88 percent of men and 99 percent of women in Bangladesh hold views that reinforce traditional gender roles (UNDP, 2023). Some people believe that children suffer when mothers work for pay, or that men have a stronger claim to jobs during times of scarce employment. Early marriage remains prevalent, as 50.7 percent of women aged 20–24 were married before the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2022). Even educated women often face restrictions on their mobility, limited control over their earnings, and the expectation to prioritize household and caregiving responsibilities (World Bank, 2024). These structural barriers indicate that improvements in educational attainment may not automatically result in increased agency or bargaining power within households, which echoes critiques of the “smart economics” framework (Eyben & Napier-Moore, 2009).
Ultimately, despite the measurable gains from girls' education initiatives in Bangladesh, structural, social, and economic barriers continue to limit these initiatives' potential to empower girls. The “smart economics” approach, which primarily focuses on enrollment rates, economic returns, and productivity, risks treating girls as tools for national development instead of recognizing them as individuals with agency and rights. To achieve genuine empowerment, programs must extend beyond practical interventions to also tackle strategic constraints, including challenging social norms, expanding mobility and employment opportunities, ensuring safe and equitable workplaces, and supporting women’s agency within households.
References
Buchmann, Nina, Erica Field, Rachel Glennerster, Shahana Nazneen, and Xiao Yu
Wang. (2023). "A
Signal to End Child Marriage: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Bangladesh
- American Economic Association." American Economic Review 113 (10): 2645–88.
UNICEF.
(2022). Data
Warehouse - UNICEF DATA
UNDP. (2023). Over
99 percent of Bangladeshis hold at least one bias against women | United
Nations Development Programme
World
Bank. (2024). Women’s Economic Empowerment in Bangladesh: An Evidence-Guided
Toolkit for More Inclusive Policies. World Bank Group. World
Bank Document
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