43045 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized WHISPERS TO VOICES Gender and Social Transformation in Bangladesh Bangladesh Development Series Paper No. 22 South Asia Sustainable Development Department South Asia Region The World Bank March 2008 www.worldbank.org.bd/bds Document of the World Bank The World Bank World Bank Office Dhaka Plot- E-32, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh Tel: 880-2-8159001-28 Fax: 880-2-8159029-30 www.worldbank.org.bd The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington DC 20433, USA Tel: 1-202-473-1000 Fax: 1-207-477-6391 www.worldbank.org All Bangladesh Development Series (BDS) publications are downloadable at: www.worldbank.org.bd/bds Standard Disclaimer: This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Copyright Statement: The material in this publication is copyrighted. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission to reproduce portion of the work promptly. A publication produced by the World Bank with partial funding support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the Australian Government's overseas aid agency. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Design: Cover designed and published by Illustration Credits: Front cover (from left): Back cover (from left): ii CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS US $1.00 = Tk 68.405 (Bangladesh Taka, February 2008) GOVERNMENT'S FISCAL YEAR July 1 – June 30 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS Acronyms Description ADB Asian Development Bank ANC Antenatal Care ASK Ain-o-Salish Kendro BA Bachelor of Arts BANBEIS Bangladesh Bureau of Educational and Information Statistics BBS Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics BDHS Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey BINP Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Project BLAST Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust BMI Body Mass Index BNWLA Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association BRAC Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee BSPA Bangladesh Service Provision Assessment CAMPE Campaign for Popular Education CEDAW Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women DHS Demographic and Health Surveys DPR Development Policy Review DWA Directorate of Women’s Affairs EmOC Emergency Obstetric Care FGD Focus Group Discussion FSSSP Female Secondary School Stipend Program FWC Family Welfare Center GDP Gross Domestic Product GED General Economic Division GK Gonoshasthaya Kendra GOB Government of Bangladesh HIES Household Income and Expenditure Surveys HKI Helen Keller International HNP Health Nutrition Population HSC Higher Secondary Certificate ICCDR,B International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh ICPD International Conference on Population and Development ILO International Labour Organization JMS Jatiyo Mahila Sangstha LFPR Labor Force Participation Rate LFS Labor Force Survey LG Local Government LFP Labor Force Participation MA Master of Arts MCH Maternal and Child Health MDG Millennium Development Goal MLAA Madaripur Legal Aid Association MMR Maternal Mortality Ratio MoE Ministry of Education iii MoHFW Ministry of Health and Family Welfare MP Member of Parliament MWA Ministry of Women’s Affairs MWCA Ministry of Women and Children Affairs NAP National Action Plan NCTB National Curriculum and Textbook Board NCWD National Council for Women’s Development NFDPL National Forensic DNA-profiling Laboratory NFLS Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies NGO Non-governmental organization NIPORT National Institute of Population Research and Training NK Nijera Kori NSS National Sample Survey (Indian) NU Nagorik Uddayong OSCC One-Stop-Crisis Centers PFA Platform for Action PIC Project Implementation Committees PNC Post-antenatal care PRS Poverty Reduction Strategy RHC Rural Health Center RMP Rural Maintenance Program RTI Reproductive Tract Infection SBA Skilled Birth Attendant SD Standard Deviations SDO Subdivision Officer SE South East SMC School Management Committee SSC Secondary School Certificate STI Sexually Transmitted Infection TBA Traditional Birth Attendant TFR Total Fertility Rate Tk Taka TT Tetanus Toxoid TV Television UDCC Upazilla Development Coordination Committee UHC Upazilla Health Complex UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities UNO Upazilla Nirbahi Officer UP Union Parishad US United States VAW Violence Against Women WB World Bank WBSGN World Bank Survey on Gender Norms WHO World Health Organization WID Women in Development iv Table of Contents Report team and Acknowlegments……………………………….……………………………………..…ix Foreword……………………………………………………….………………………………………..…xi SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................................3 A Narrative of Social Transformation.................................................................................................................3 B How Did Bangladesh Do It? ...........................................................................................................................4 C What To Do Next ............................................................................................................................................6 D New Facts, New Directions...........................................................................................................................16 I HOW WERE BANGLADESH’S GAINS POSSIBLE? ...........................................................................19 A Constitutional Guarantee Of Gender Equality And Political Representation................................................21 B An Evolving Vision Towards Women’s Advancement ................................................................................22 C Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................................28 II HEALTH: CHARTING THE PROGRESS AND ADDRESSING MATERNAL HEALTH ...............29 A Charting The Gains In Key Health Outcomes...............................................................................................29 B Maternal Health.............................................................................................................................................32 i) Supply of Services....................................................................................................................................34 ii) Demand for Maternal Care.......................................................................................................................36 C Synthesis and Conclusions ............................................................................................................................41 III EDUCATION: SPECTACULAR PROGRESS AND EMERGING ISSUES .......................................43 A Impact Of Education On Development Outcomes And The Social Fabric ...................................................45 B Aspirations of Educated Young People in Bangladesh - “To Stand On Our Own Feet” .............................49 C Recommendations for Educational Reform-Voices of Youth and Government Response ..........................51 IV WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT IN BANGLADESH: CONUNDRUMS AMIDST PROGRESS............55 A Bangladesh- Trends And Patterns In Labor Force Participation ...................................................................57 B Two Bengals: So Similar Yet So Different ..................................................................................................67 C Synthesis And Recommendations .................................................................................................................70 V NORMS, DECISION MAKING AND PARTICIPATION .....................................................................73 A Gender Norms – Not Cast in Stone ...............................................................................................................74 B Household Level Decision Making...............................................................................................................77 C Voice In The Community And Beyond - Constraints Are Not Just Cultural ................................................80 D Local Government.........................................................................................................................................81 E Participation in Informal and Semi-Formal Structures and Processes...........................................................84 F Summary and Synthesis ................................................................................................................................86 VI VIOLENCE AND SAFETY OF WOMEN ...............................................................................................89