Report - Gender Discrimination in Bangladesh

Gender Discrimination in Bangladesh

Hasan Mahmud, Mymensingh, 10 September: In this age of modern science and technology gender discrimination is not accepted at all. It creates hindrance on the path of development. Unfortunately, the female children in Bangladesh are the worst victim of this gender discrimination which begins at their birth. As a result, millions of girls, women and destitute old ladies are to suffer in their whole life.

There are some causes for which gender discrimination prevails in Bangladesh. The desire to have male children by our parents is the main cause for this gender discrimination. Social prejudices, customs, and our male-domination trend are also responsible for this. Religious misinterpretation also contributes much to this gender discrimination.

In the existing socio-economic set up, most parents want to have male children so that they can supplement their family income and help with the domestic chores when they grow older. So, parents take more care in all respects for their male children. If any parents have no son, they become frustrated thinking that they have none to look after at their old age.

On the other hand, there are many parents who consider female child as a burden to them. Our male-dominated society makes the parents learn to think that girls are born only to become the wife of a husband and the mother of some children. So, female children are actually born in an unwelcome world and they are deprived of the light of education, their social rights, and basic needs.

Such an outlook of the parents should be changed. They should treat a boy and a girl equally. If they do not treat them equally, the society will be deprived from the service of the half of the total population. It will hinder the overall development of the country. If female children are properly educated and equally treated, they can possibly do much better than the male children.