Tasmiah T Rahman

For 15 and a half years, Bangladesh showcased Sheikh Hasina as the ultimate symbol of female empowerment; the woman who survived assassination, exile, and persistent threats to become the longest-serving leader in our history.

Films like Rickshaw Girl, Made in Bangladesh, Barir Naam Shahana, Priyo Maloti, and Saba portray women as workers, believers, caregivers, and artists—ordinary people navigating extraordinary pressures of life.

Women’s indecision signals both caution and opportunity.

An article in this daily, titled “Women don’t want to be superhumans” (published on February 2, 2022), has inspired me to write this column.

During the pandemic, UNICEF reported on how an additional 10 million more girls were pushed into the risk of child marriage.

Kamla Bhasin, a celebrated feminist, activist and social scientist, was born in 1946, in a village at Punjab in what is now Pakistan.

Amid the ongoing restrictions meant to reduce the transmission of Covid-19, 32-year-old Nasima Begum, living with her husband and two sons in a Hazaribagh slum, has been finding it very difficult to make ends meet.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been nominated as one of the top three women leaders who tackled the Covid-19 crisis well. While her efforts to bring Bangladesh into the limelight has been highly appreciated, addressing gender gaps remains a challenge that needs attention, not only through policy adjustments but also by getting down to the nitty-gritty where real challenges lie for ordinary women.