Gender bias, workload leave women out of emergency decisions

In a deeply patriarchal society, women's decision-making power remains extremely limited. Even when women earn an income, it is often their husbands or other male family members who decide how that money will be spent. During disasters, women frequently lack access to timely information – and even then, they are rarely allowed to make decisions on their own.

Experts warn that unless society dismantles entrenched gender norms, reduces the heavy burden of unpaid care work, and creates clear pathways for women's leadership, women will continue to be excluded from critical decision-making during emergencies. This exclusion persists despite extensive evidence that women's participation leads to better, more effective, and more sustainable outcomes.

These observations were shared at a roundtable titled "Women in Emergency Response: Lead or Left Out?" held at TBS conference room in Dhaka's Eskaton today (9 December). The event was jointly organised by The Business Standard and CARE Bangladesh's Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) project and was moderated by Sharier Khan, executive editor of TBS.

It was organised as part of the advocacy strategy under the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) project to observe 16 days of activism against gender-based violence funded by AFD - Agence Française de Développement.

Speaking at the event, Mehrul Islam, senior director for Program Planning, Impact and Quality at CARE Bangladesh, noted that the limitations on women's decision-making power are not unique to Bangladesh. Across the world, progress on gender equality remains uneven – some countries are moving forward while others are sliding backward. This is why we must keep raising these issues, again and again.

Mehrul pointed to extensive evidence showing that where women lead, the quality of decisions and outcomes improve significantly. We have more women and girls in this country than ever before. There is no logical reason to keep them behind.

He also reflected on the changing nature of emergencies – from earthquakes to intensified cyclones and floods – which are becoming more unpredictable. "Emergencies will continue to test us. Unless we address new problems with new learning, we cannot strengthen our national response systems."

Mehrul urged policymakers, UN agencies, NGOs, and academics to take responsibility for spreading the lessons from this discussion across the country. 

Presenting the keynote, Proma Israt, technical coordinator (gender), WLiE Project, Care Bangladesh, explained how the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) project is cultivating leadership among marginalised women in disaster-prone Barguna. The project works with 20 women's groups across three upazilas, each with around 20 members.

She described the six-step model – Analyse, Reflect, Co-create, Learn, Act, and Engage Men – which builds leadership from within communities. However, she also highlighted persistent barriers: patriarchal norms, male-dominated decision-making bodies, domestic workload, and lack of recognition of women's input.

Professor Tania Haque at the Department of Women and Gender Studies of the University of Dhaka linked these barriers to entrenched socio-cultural beliefs that treat women as passive dependents rather than active agents.

"Women are suffering not only from economic poverty but also from time poverty due to unpaid care," she said.

While society advocates opportunities for women, Prof Tania argued that opportunities for men to participate in household responsibilities are equally crucial. "We demand quotas for women in the labour force – why not a quota for men in domestic work?"

She insisted that disaster management systems must be sensitised to recognise women's indigenous knowledge, emotional intelligence, and multi-tasking abilities, which research shows enhance crisis response.

Sharmin Islam, gender team leader at UNDP, referenced the 2023 Gender Social Norms Index, which revealed that nearly 99% of Bangladeshis – both men and women – hold some form of bias against women, including doubts about women's leadership.

She highlighted global evidence that peace negotiations with women's participation have far higher success rates. Women think in multidimensional ways, seeking win-win solutions. Their empathy strengthens negotiation and community trust.

Rawnak Jahan, director of the Women and Youth Program at CARE Bangladesh, said gender equality must move beyond awareness and adopt transformative approaches that challenge harmful norms.

She noted that while there has been much talk about educating men and building trust between genders, society continues to normalise violence and silence women's voices. "We must commit to raising our voices against every form of violence and injustice."

Urging institutions to design more inclusive preparedness mechanisms, Rawnak called for deeper root-cause analysis to understand why men engage in controlling behaviour or perpetrate violence, and how structural systems reinforce these patterns.

Shohanur Rahman, chief executive of Bangladesh Model Youth Parliament, pointed out how disasters, poverty, and remote locations fuel child marriage and deepen gender inequality. 

Digital early warning systems, he noted, are lifesaving but currently misused due to the unregulated expansion of mobile and internet access.

Kamrun Nahar, member of Nari Pokkho, argued that despite Bangladesh having many laws, deep discrimination persists within legal and social systems because these laws often fail to address the root inequalities embedded in the constitution, institutions, and culture. 

She stressed that women's participation in disaster management cannot be meaningful unless existing rules and policies are reviewed, reformed, and implemented without obstruction. 

Nahar urged collective action, accountability, and a strong state role in ensuring safety, dignity, and equal access to resources and information. She said only when women are treated as full citizens will society be able to respond effectively and equitably during emergencies.