Bangladesh Mahila Parishad on Thursday demanded that the government increase budget allocations for ‘decent jobs’ to support gender equality and women’s empowerment in the 2026-27 financial year.

The press conference held at Dhaka Reporters Unity emphasised the necessity to ensure women’s safety and security.

Currently, the gender-related allocation for the 2026-27 financial year stands at 34.8 per cent of the total budget, which is 4.8 per cent of the total GDP, the speakers said.

However, the current allocation for women’s access to public service is only 10 per cent of the gender budget.

Under the formal economic urban sprawl, the gender budget was 18 per cent in 2005, which is now 7 per cent, said professor Sharmind Neelormi of Jahangirnagar University.

‘Considering women’s tax contributions is also crucial in empowering them, who constitute half of the population,’ added professor Sharmind.

The experts also noted that the gender budget did not explicitly address issues like equal pay for equal work, workplace safety for women, and legal procedures to reduce violence against women, despite evident government commitments to these issues.