Obstacles to womens’ participation in the politics of Bangladesh

Abstract

There is emergent recognition that constant peace and national cornucopia can only be achieved when institutions are democratic and representative of all groups of society. Hence, a truly democratic and representative government cannot be established without women’s participation in the political processes. In a democracy, women should enjoy equal rights of political participation and exercise their rights fully. By ensuring men and women empowerment holistically, effective democratic society could be established and political empowerment is the main prerequisite of women empowerment. Women political participation, leadership and fundamental contribution to society mainly relied upon establishment of accessibility to political party’s constitution, manifesto, and state policy structure and to establish equal participation in every sphere of society. Though, women highest leadership to state power in Bangladesh has got enormous appraisal around the world, but in reality in Bangladesh women generally remain in parliament, local government body and entire political domain insignificant. Women highest position in state along with opposition does not denote gender sensitive political system, then it as form of family inheritance endeavor to patriarchal link of father, husband or brother. In this study, majority of respondent expressed their perception on party system of Bangladesh is not women friendly. However, moderate percent of respondent prefers current level of women participation in politics as fairly satisfactory where few respondents staying on lowers satisfactory. In Bangladesh, participation of women in parliament have ensured by constitutional obligation and in local government body by legal obligation but this commitment of quota system does not ensure spontaneity of women participation in the whole from local to policy level. Patriarchal societal system, religious value and culture of society rather act as obstacle to women participation in politics. This study reveals in this context, majority of respondent prefer social cultural factor as main obstacle. On the other hand, women dual role, religion base politics, prohibition of women leadership in Islam, absent of women friendly electoral system as well as present negative women psychology of political culture also work as obstacle. According to findings, it has seen that respondent acknowledge politics as dirty influencing women disagrees to join politics and dislike politics as career. Besides that, present environment of politics has been accounted to women as violence against women. Patriarchy system of society influenced social cultural environment in society and polity designed to political party’s principles and programme as men dominant and this mainly influenced women negative psychology to politics. Women cannot play role on decision making into their environment and scope due to being outsider of this patriarchal power domain. Furthermore, generally women are being victim of traditional value as to be men dominant. To influence women political participation in this type of socio economic and political circumstance, quota system could be effective for shorter period of time but as longer effectiveness more conducive programme need to ensure women real political participant. To this aim, increasing women contribution in mainstream party politics and participation in policy structure of political parties, enhancing more women nomination to general seat, controlling muscle power and black money and creating women friendly electoral environment are necessary on this context. Above all, empowering women as socially and economically alongside changing attitude of men toward women and a cross-cutting strategy towards gender equality in all political decisions, in institutional structures and in the allocation of resources could acquire this equal participation to democratic development.