Bangladeshi society is now floating in a wave of change. The society that once kept women in the privacy of the home and handed all the responsibilities of life over to men is now witnessing a new rise in women’s efficiency, confidence and leadership. Whether in the offices or in the green rice fields of the villages, the presence of women is visible, clear and inevitable. However, this transformation does not happen evenly; in some places it flows like a stream, in others it slowly breaks down old barriers.

Bangladesh’s social structure has been built on a patriarchal system for a long time. Men were the masters of the family, the representatives of society, the spokespersons of the state. Women were the craftsmen of the secluded home - the silent heroes of keeping the fire burning in the hearth, raising children, and sustaining the family. Yet behind this ‘silence’ was boundless labor, countless sacrifices, and countless invisible contributions. Since independence, when the country stepped onto a new economic horizon, the role of women began to change.

A Changing Society, Growing Confidence

Women in urban Bangladesh were the first to break those traditional boundaries.  Offices, banks, schools, hospitals, media, politics, now women are everywhere. In Dhaka’s traffic jams, women are now rideshare drivers, newsreaders on television screens, and judges on the court bench. Once, the wheels of the family revolved around the income of men alone, but today women’s income is also forming the foundation of the family. Decisions in the family are also changing. ‘the husband’s word’ is no longer the only decision, but ‘the decision of two’ is now the new reality.

The picture of the village is also changing, but at a slower pace. The woman who once used to collect water from the well after finishing household chores in the morning is now working in the fields, raising poultry, doing small businesses, and even selling products at the local market. Microcredit programs, NGO training, and government assistance projects are making women self-reliant. When economic independence comes, confidence also increases. That confidence is now reflected in the voices, eyes, and lives of rural women.

Role of Education And Technology

The advent of technology has further accelerated this change. Today, village girls learn handicrafts by watching YouTube on their smartphones, run online businesses on Facebook, or sell their own products on digital marketplaces. These small steps are creating big changes where women are no longer dependent, but are symbols of creative and economic power.

However, this change has brought a wave of change not only in the lives of women, but also in the lives of men. Earlier, all the responsibilities of the family were on the shoulders of men; now that burden is being shared. Many urban men now help in the kitchen, take their children to school, and encourage their wives' careers. But with this, a new psychological struggle has also begun. The identity, authority, and role of men are being redefined. Some are welcoming this change, while others are afraid and resisting it.

The expansion of education in Bangladesh has played a key role in this transformation. Girls are now equal to boys in schools, colleges, and universities and sometimes even ahead of them. Women have proven their capabilities as doctors, engineers, teachers, researchers, and even pilots. This achievement is not just personal;  this is the evolution of the mentality of society.

Nevertheless, the distance between villages and cities still remains. In cities girls are gaining comparatively more opportunities but girls in villages must struggle with child marriage, dowry, superstitions and poverty. They are in most instances economic actors with no social acknowledgement. However, the hope of confidence in the eyes of women in the village today is the most glimmering symbol of change in Bangladesh.

This change has also been visible in the media, dramas, movies, and advertisements. Today women are not only observed in the family, but also in the position of leadership, in the decision-making table, or on the screen of technology. This image is influencing the thinking of the younger generation. They now think of women not as competitors, but as fellow travelers which is a major social progress.

State Policy, Family Cooperation

However, there are still obstacles, questions. Women do not get equal opportunities in the workplace, wage inequality remains, sexual harassment and insecurity continue to haunt them. Village girls are still trapped in the web of marriage at a young age, while city girls suffer from social pressure and the mental anguish of being the ‘perfect woman’.  This path of change therefore requires state policy, social awareness, and family cooperation.

New education is now needed for both men and women; education of equality, education of respect. Because women’s liberation does not only mean women's victory; it is also men’s liberation, freedom from the inertia of patriarchy. When men understand that women’s independence means the progress of society, then this change will be complete.

A Role Model For Development?

Bangladesh is a role model for development today. According to a UN report, the biggest driving force behind Bangladesh’s economic progress is women’s participation. Therefore, this change in gender roles is not only social evolution, it is the basis of economic power.

Bangladesh can be a country where the gap between cities and villages will be erased, and the roles of men and women will no longer be bound by rigid social definitions in the future. They will work, think, and build together; a humane, equality-based, conscious society.

Times have changed but the story of this change is still ongoing. And at the center of that story are women, who are silently changing the face of Bangladesh.

(The author is an undergraduate student in the Department of International Relations at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Views expressed are personal. She can be reached at atiaibnat01403@gmail.com).