Involving more women in decision making process

Kanchan Dutta :
Amena (anonymous) got married at the age of 15 years. At this stage she was not empowered to take decision. As a result she conceived before realizing anything. She had no access to consult about family planning matters and taking care of health. As a result now she is battling for life after giving birth to a baby. Indeed, unequal situation in family and society is the core challenge for women in Bangladesh. If the state can take positive steps, there will be no problem. Empowerment of women in decision and policy making in Bangladesh is not so smooth whereas they are half of the total population. This are the integrated part of the society and there is no scope to treat women as a separate entity of the society. Success and failure of women play important role in the overall development of the country.
Women have to reach the apex point of power so that society can easily recognize their contribution. But there is a concern of how much priority they do get. In modern time, policy making and decision making process are mostly related to administration. Women have not reached the top level of bureaucracy in a good number yet. To empower women and establish women’s rights, political commitment is a must. Because without decision making power, expected women development is absurd. If they do not raise their voice at the level of decision making, how will they be able to bring necessary changes in employment, health and education sector? According to our traditional belief women are to do all household work. But whatever they do patriarchy does not recognize their labor and effort. A mother who can sacrifice all for her child but she gets a little chance to speak about her child’s future. In most cases, these decisions are taken by father, brother, maternal and paternal uncles. Women are not even included in natural resource management and environmental matter. But they have vast practical knowledge and experience in this regard. They should be included because there is a deep relation between women and environment.
Our major foreign earning sector is ready made garments (RMG). In this sector eighty percent of labor force is women. Here women are only mere laborers, they do not have any representation in policy making level. Some women who are positioned in government policy making body are surrounded by males. They can not even work freely for many complexities.
They feel and face abstract bindings at their work place. Women are being discouraged in business sector. The government is trying hard for making the sector women friendly. Women entroprenures are encuraged in providing loan and other fecilities for doing business.
Literally power means to take control over something or somebody. Controlling is related to social matters. If one becomes more powerful, other becomes weak. Inequality is the pillar of one handed controlling system. This inequality has kept away women from decision making process. Self confidence and empowerment is a must for utilizing their potential. If we want to realize women empowerment, we have to look at the real scenario of the property rights. It is also important to judge whether they are benefited or developed in true sense.
It may be mentioned that in Bangladesh women leadership grew through a political process. Our Prime Minister, Speaker of the parliament, Deputy Leader of the house, Leader of the opposition, leader of the large political party are women. During the last two decades women leadership steered our politics. The posts of judge in the Supreme Court, secretaries of the government. Vice Chancellor of BUET are being adorned by the talented women. The women enrolled themselves in the army, navy and air force (including paratroopers) and police. They proved their efficiency and physical fitness in all these professions alongside men. In all strata of social life women started showing their hidden talent, expertise and ability to contribute in the process of national development. But this does not allow us to be satisfied. Still many legal, administrative and infrastructural initiatives are required for the actual empowerment of women and to bring them in the mainstream of decision making process.
In fact an overall qualitative change in women development has not yet been achieved in our society. We have to go long way. For ensuring good governance, women empowerment is inevitable. If we want to remove disparity from our society, women leadership is essential. Without ensuring women development the overall development of the country is not possible at all.
Status of women is not just a matter of justice only, it is closely related with political, economic and social issues. It would be truly claimed for women that they are empowered when they would be able to avail opportunity fully to flourish their capacity at their fullest. Look forward to those golden days.
 (PID- UNICEF Feature)