Gender equality not a women's issue; rather economic and national: Zaima Rahman

Gender inequality in Bangladesh no longer exists only through visible discrimination; it persists subtly through social norms, habits, and systems that normalise unequal treatment, Barrister Zaima Rahman said today (18 January). 

"Gender equality is not a women's issue. It is an economic and national issue," she said while addressing a policy dialogue titled "Women Shaping the Nation: Policy, Possibility and the Future of Bangladesh" at the Krishibid Institution of Bangladesh in the capital, with journalist Kazi Jesin moderating it. 

In her first-ever policy-level address in Bangladesh, Zaima, daughter of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, highlighted the economic cost of unpaid care work performed by women. 

She said women in Bangladesh carry out nearly 85% of unpaid household and care work, spending more than seven times the hours men do daily. This invisible labour, valued at nearly 19% of GDP, remains excluded from economic planning and policymaking.

As a result, women's participation in the formal economy suffers significantly, she said, adding that despite progress in girls' education, women's labour force participation remains below 40%, compared to over 80% for men. 

On the other hand, many women leave paid work after marriage or childbirth, not due to lack of capability, but because social and institutional systems assume women will absorb these unpaid responsibilities, Zaima said. 

Photo: TBS

Reflecting on her personal experiences, she said her understanding of women's roles was shaped by her family and recalled how her mother continued her career as a cardiologist in government hospitals despite working in patriarchal environments, enabled by family support.

Zaima also mentioned her grandmother's initiative in 1979 to open a free elementary school for disadvantaged children from her home, which later grew into one of Bangladesh's earliest non-governmental social initiatives.

"These values were also reflected in national leadership," she said, noting that her grandfather believed development was incomplete without women's inclusion. Under his leadership, expansion of the government sector enabled millions of women to enter formal employment, while the establishment of the Ministry of Women's Affairs signalled institutional commitment to women's advancement.

She also pointed to the social costs of inaction, including rising dropout rates among adolescent girls and widespread harassment. 

Citing data, Zaima said nearly 78% of women in Bangladesh experience online harassment, while nearly half the population feels unsafe in public spaces, transport, and digital platforms.

She noted that infrastructure - from buses and roads to workplaces and online spaces — is often designed with men in mind, forcing women to adjust rather than ensuring their safety.

To address these challenges, she proposed a multi-layered approach, including safety training, digital literacy, self-defence programmes for youth, stronger enforcement of laws, faster judicial processes, improved reporting mechanisms, better street lighting outside Dhaka, and community-based support desks.

She also stressed the need for policy redesign, calling for flexible work arrangements, expanded maternity benefits, accessible childcare facilities, and integrated labour and welfare systems.

"We have many laws and policies, but they operate in silos. Without an integrated ecosystem, protection remains incomplete," she said.

Zaima warned that Bangladesh, facing climate vulnerability, economic transition, and demographic pressure, cannot afford to sideline half its population. 

Speaking at the event, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said political democracy cannot be sustained without economic democracy, emphasising the need for women to be equal stakeholders in all sectors.

Other speakers included CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun, BRAC Enterprises Managing Director Tamara Hasan Abed, and Berger Paints Bangladesh MD Rupali Chowdhury, among others.