Barrister Zaima Rahman, daughter of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, today said when women are welcomed rather than sidelined, they not only transform their own lives, but also the future of their families and the nation.
“If Bangladesh seeks real progress -- not symbolic success stories, but sustained national development -- empowerment cannot stop in classrooms, offices or policies. It must reach our homes, our institutions and our mindsets, and this is the responsibility of all of us,” she added.
Zaima made the remarks while delivering a special address at the event, titled “Women Shaping the Nation: Policy, Possibility and the Future of Bangladesh,” at the KIB Complex in Dhaka.
She emphasised that gender equality is not merely a women’s issue, but an economic and national one. Pointing out that women shoulder the majority of unpaid care and household responsibilities, she said this limits their participation in the formal economy.
“Despite significant gains in girls’ education, women’s labour force participation in Bangladesh remains below 40 percent, compared to over 80 percent for men. Many women step back from paid work after marriage or childbirth -- not due to lack of ability or ambition, but because the system assumes they will absorb the cost,” she said.
“Policies and access alone do not create equality. You can expand education, pass laws and set national targets, but if social norms, daily expectations and mindsets remain unequal, empowerment remains fragile,” she added.
She further said, “This is not about overt discrimination. Inequality often survives through habit and comfort, through what feels normal in Bangladesh.”
Reflecting on her own experiences, Zaima said her understanding of women’s leadership was shaped by her family. She said she grew up seeing women lead in both private and public life, with men standing alongside them as equals -- a value reflected in the lives of her grandparents and parents.
Other speakers at the event included Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, and Tamara Abed, social entrepreneur and founder of a women-led enterprise.
