Factors Influencing Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh

Women especially in developing countries are not empowered in most of fields of their life. They depend on their husband or father in a number of ways. No doubt, education and change of society's attitude towards women is best tool to empower women. Decision making power regarding household, economic, healthcare and women participation in political and social activities can also play positive role to promote awareness to empower women in society. Nowadays, the scenario is changing in Bangladesh and women getting more empower in decision making, earnings and health care. This paper aims to evaluate the factors influencing women’s empowerment in Bangladesh. This paper focuses on women empowerment through decision making power at household level, health care, political and social activities. This study reveals that majority of the married women can jointly make decision about their household and economic segment, health care, the participation in political and social activities with their husbands. This paper also shows that urban respondents are relatively more empowered than their rural counterparts and types of place of residence plays a significant role in the women empowerment in Bangladesh. The women who are currently working have more freedom to make decision over their personal, social and political life than the women who are not currently working. This paper recognizes that there is a strong relationship between decision making power and women empowerment.