Inequity between men and women must remove to boost the country’s economic growth

THE Women’s Affairs Reform Commission in its final report, submitted on Saturday, recommended for elimination of all forms of discrimination against women that exists in the country.

The commission, formed in November last year, was aimed at the overall welfare and development of women and to achieve equality between women and men, highlighting the importance of women in society.

The commission’s 15 specific recommendations include the provision for equal rights of women to property, a uniform family code irrespective of religion, ethnicity or class, and a permanent commission on women’s affairs. The struggle for the establishment of women’s rights, dignity and equality is a long-standing one.

Although various policies, laws and programs have been adopted for the welfare and development of women since independence, their practical impact has not been observed in the same way.

Rather, women continue to be victims of socio-economic, political and institutional discrimination. In such a context, the report of the commission can play an important role as a policy strategy to ensure women’s equality and protection. Implementation of the recommendations has become essential and it needs to be completed as quickly as possible.

Some of the recommendations, as the commission says, can be implemented during the tenure of the interim government, which assumed office after the August 2024 political changeover that resulted from the overthrow of the Hasina regime in a mass uprising. Some of the recommendations would be left to the next elected government to execute.

The commission’s report mentions constitutional amendments that create inequality between women and men. For example, “There are discriminatory provisions between women and men under Article 28 of the Constitution.

Women are discriminated, especially in matters of marriage, divorce, and maintenance. This has created inequality between men and women, which has left women socially disadvantaged”.

Most of the time, it has been seen that timely recommendations are made. But they are not implemented. That is why women are still backward in society. Women are victims of wage discrimination.

However, more than 90 per cent of women are involved in informal economic activities. Being subjected to torture in various cases, they are being attacked by close family members, even to death.

Therefore, short, medium and long-term recommendations must be implemented to ensure the representation of women in the ratio of men to women. Moreover, it is important to remember that unless women’s participation in all types of work increases, the country’s economic growth will not accelerate.