I feel that I need to start by saying that I am uncomfortable writing about my perceptions on being a woman in Bangladesh. I’m conflicted over how to approach this issue… For one, I am hesitant to too quickly label Bangladeshi society as oppressive toward women. For instance, I have been told many times, by both men and women, that the traditional agricultural role of women in Bangladesh is in activities that can be performed in the home, such as rice husking and seed preservation. Even though western society might be tempted to label this as oppressive, this division of labour contains some empowering roles for women. The preservation of seeds, for instance, is vitally important for the success of the subsequent season’s harvest. That women carry the knowledge to preserve seeds, on which the following crop depends, is significant.

Yet, it is also hard to see the social sanctions against women operating in the public sphere in Bangladesh as anything but oppressive. While there may be powerful roles for women to play within the household, it is undeniably repressive that she does not have a choice to assume other, more public roles. The same, of course, can be said for men, if it is considered taboo for them to remain in the house and their wives to work. And so while I don’t want to assume that maintaining women within the household leaves them helpless and powerless, I do think that I can say that such strict gender roles are repressive for both genders.

Of course, this is also an issue in Western society, but because gender roles are different here the forms of oppression seem more obvious to me. None of the above is meant to convey that gender equality is that much closer to being attained in Canada. But the lack of public freedoms that women have in Bangladesh should not go unquestioned in the name of respecting culture.

So how can a balance be struck, for me, as an outsider, between respecting the validity of cultural practices different from my own and challenging patriarchy? It is no doubt true that there are women in rural Bangladesh who would feel uncomfortable planting seed next to a man. Yet there are also women who are resisting these gender roles. In conversation with a gender specialist here, dicussion centred on the importance of creating an environment where women have access to alternative perspectives on gender roles without being forced to adopt them. It is important that this be an open dialogue and not an imposition of Western views, because it is Bangladeshis who need to re-create less oppressive roles for women which they can identify with. Westerners may therefore engage in this discussion, but should do so in an open and humble manner without assuming we have already found the answers to achieving gender equality.

Category: Bangladesh, On location // Add Comment »