In
Bangladesh the gradual development of industry has done great changes to the
life of
women
and their field of dignity. The continuous progress in the industrial sector
has
dragged
women from their confined environment to the outdoor work-resonant world.
Besides,
the opportunities of jobs for women have extended their scopes for extra
income.
In the field of education, women are more advanced now than they were in the
past.
Women are not confined to the boundary of primary and secondary schools. They
are
now studying in institutions like medical colleges, general universities,
engineering
universities,
agricultural universities and in other institutions for higher education. A
report
presented by Bangladesh in the Fourth World Women Conference, Beijing-1995
states that among the total students of the universities, the number of female
students is 23%. In the medical colleges and in engineering universities
respectively 29% and 9% of the students are women. The female education being
free, the rural girls are getting more chances to study than it was in the
past. Besides, the government has been running a Upabritti
(stipend) project with a view to expanding the female
education which has taken the rural female education one step ahead. Now, the people
of rural societies, besides educating their sons, are putting importance
equally on the education of female children. As a result of this, in the SSC
and the HSC examinations of different education boards, girl students are much
advanced in results. Besides education, women are now being involvedin various
works. At one time, women were confined only to the household works. Today, in the
urban areas of Bangladesh, women are doing jobs in many industries, mills and
factories like garments industry, medicine manufacturing factory, telephone and
telecommunication industries, jute, tea, and paper industries, architecture industry,
fish processing industry, etc. Moreover, educated women are working in
different professions such as medicine, law, teaching, police, judiciary and at
different government and nongovernment institutions. In government jobs, a
major portion of women are serving almost in all cadres including the administration,
police, postal, cooperative and ansar. In our rural perspective, women have
created self employment taking loans from government or nongovernment organisations.
In these selfemployments, there are tree plantation, nursery,
cow fattening, rearing goats, fish farming, apiculture, poultry
farming, tailoring, fruit business, etc.
