CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Hera, Nur Jahan |
|---|---|
| Title | Economic Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh: Analysis of Higher Education Policies Addressing Labor Market Transition of Women |
| Summary | The proposition of this paper states that higher education can be instrumental in fostering gender equality and the economic empowerment of women by facilitating the transition of women to the formal labor market. Based on this proposition this paper focuses on a developing economy, Bangladesh that is characterized as a low-middle income country with 90% of participating female labor force (FLFP is 38.2% in 2018) occupied in the informal sector. As the country envisions to be a middle-income country with high HDI by 2021, it strategizes to covert its women population to human resources by ensuring their equal opportunities in education, health, and skill development. In retrospect to the proposition of this paper, it is important to investigate if higher education policies of Bangladesh provide equal opportunities to ii women. Policy initiatives at the primary and secondary levels have significantly raised female enrollment to 100%. Yet, gender disparity still exists on the tertiary level that translates into unequal participation of women in the labor market. The intensity of the issue is even more stark as there is a noticeable lack of women in high-skilled formal jobs who are mostly concentrated in lower positions. Considering the historical and contemporary patriarchy in Bangladesh, gender stereotypes in the society can be challenged through greater participation of women in higher education institutions. However, higher education institutions are not performing adequately to address these issues due to a lack of proper policies from the top. This paper explored the existing higher education policy framework in Bangladesh and assessed its adequacy in resolving gender inequality at the tertiary level as well as in facilitating the transition of women in the labor market. The content analysis of the higher education policies in Bangladesh revealed a greater inclination towards quality than equity. The policies for gender equality higher education included financial instruments such as stipends for female students as well as non-monetary instruments such as developing gender-responsive curriculum and higher education infrastructure. However, the overall policies designed for women in terms of their opportunities in higher education and to prepare them for the labor market revealed an "equal treatment" approach rather than a gender-differentiated approach. Considering the policy analysis, it is suggested to take the gender-differentiated approach in parallel with the equal treatment approach in higher education to ensure the economic empowerment of women by adequately preparing them for the labor market transition. |
| Supervisor | Akbar, Yusaf |
| Department | Economics MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/hera_nur.pdf |
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