Feminism in Bangladesh seeks equal rights of women in Bangladesh through social and political change. Article 28 of

Bangladesh constitution The Constitution of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের সংবিধান — ), officially the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশের ...

states that "Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of public life".

History

Feminist movements in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

started long before its independence. During the 19th century the social reform movement, mostly carried out by male social leaders, worked to abolish practices such as infanticide,

child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a mal ...

, and widow burning. Women activists in Bangladesh organized to claim their rights during the British and Pakistan period of Bangladesh. They mobilized to fight regarding issues including

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

, economic opportunities for women, equal representation in politics for women, reproductive rights, reforming family law, and gender equality in public policies. During the Pakistan period the feminist movement was more focused on politics and national struggles. The feminist movement of the 1970s and 1980s was led by professional women from urban areas.

Issues

Muslim Family Law

The Muslim Family Law was enacted by the British Indian government. Which is discriminatory against women's rights law.

Bangladeshi feminists

* Begum Rokeya was a notable Muslim feminist, educator, and activist. *

Kamini Roy Kamini Roy (12 October 1864 – 27 September 1933) was a Bengali poet, social worker and feminist in British India. She was the first woman honours graduate in British India.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansa ...

was the first woman honors graduate in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, , p83, * Nawab Faizunnesa was the first woman

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

, she is known for her campaign for

female education Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girl ...

and other social issues related to women *

Mohammad Nasiruddin Mohammad Nasiruddin (20 November 1888 – 21 May 1994) was a Bangladeshi journalist and progressive thinker. He became an important reformer of Muslim Bengal in early 20th century and provided platform for female writers. He received Ekushey Pada ...

, Bangladeshi journalist, women's rights activist, and publisher of

Begum Begum (also begüm, bagum, begom, begam, baigum or beygum) is a royal and aristocratic title from Central and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''baig'' or '' bey'', which in Turkic languages means "higher official". It us ...

*Fazilatunnesa, Bangladeshi mathematician, Principal of Eden Mohila College, and first female post-graduate of Muslim Bengal. * Nurjahan Begum, pioneer female journalist and editor of

, the first women's magazine in Bangladesh. * Nurun Nahar Faizannesa was a leader of the feminist movement in Bangladesh- * Mahmuda Khatun Siddiqua, Bangladeshi poet, essayist, and a pioneering women's liberation activist. * Sultana Kamal is a Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights activist. She serves as the Executive Director of

Ain o Salish Kendra The Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) ( bn, আইন ও সালিশ কেন্দ্র (আসক); Centre for Law and Mediation) is a non-government, a national legal aid and human rights organisation in Bangladesh. It is one of the leading h ...

, a civil rights organization. *

Sufia Kamal Begum Sufia Kamal (20 June 1911 – 20 November 1999) was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led fe ...

, Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and social activist. *

Taslima Nasrin Taslima Nasrin (born 25 August 1962) is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writing on women's oppression and criticism of religion. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh ...

is a feminist who is known for her

criticism of religion Criticism of religion involves criticism of the validity, concept, or ideas of religion. Historical records of criticism of religion go back to at least 5th century BCE in ancient Greece, in Athens specifically, with Diagoras "the Atheist" of ...

. * Syeda Razia Faiz was the first female elected member of parliament in Bangladesh. *

Hasna Begum Hasna Begum (24 February 1935 – 1 December 2020) was a Bangladeshi philosopher and feminist, and a professor of philosophy at the University of Dhaka until her retirement in December 2000. Education and career She earned her BA (1968) and M ...

is a contemporary Bangladeshi philosopher of feminism and held the prestigious Rokeya Chair by the University Grants Commission (UGC). * Rokeya Rahman Kabeer was a woman emancipation activist. * Masuda Khatun was a pioneering feminist who was given the nickname Agni Nagini (Fire Serpent) by

Kazi Nazrul Islam , pseudonym = bn, ধূমকেতু, Dhūmketu , image = Nazrul.jpg , image_size = , caption = Nazrul in Chittagong, 1926 , birth_date = 11 ''Joiṣṭhyô'', 1306 '' Bônggabdô ...

. * Wasfia Nazreen is the first Bangladeshi, and

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

person of any gender, to climb all the

Seven Summits The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven traditional continents. Climbing to the summit of all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first achieved on 30 April 1985 by Richard Bass. Climbing the Seven Summits a ...

. * Shaheda Mustafiz is the first female programmer of

. * Ayesha Khanam, Bangladeshi feminist leader and freedom fighter. * Rounaq Jahan, Bangladeshi political scientist, feminist leader, and author. * Angela Gomes, social worker and founder of ''Banchte Shekha (Learn How To Survive)'' * Shireen Huque, cofounder of Naripokkho and anti-violence crusader. * Rahnuma Ahmed, anthropologist, activist, and author * Nazma Akter, Bangladeshi

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

ist and founder of the Awaj Foundation. * Joya Sikder, transgender activist and founder of Somporker Noya Setu (SNS) * Tasaffy Hossain, founder of the feminist organization Bonhishikha, that first staged ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores c ...

'' in Bangladesh. * Trishia Nashtaran, founder of the feminist grassroots organization Meye Network.

Organizations

* Begum Magazine, founded in 1947 * Bangladesh Mahila Samiti (formerly Dhaka branch of

All Pakistan Women's Association The All Pakistan Women's Association, or APWA, ( ur, آل پاکستان ویمنز ایسوسی ایشن) as it is commonly known, is a voluntary, non-profit and non-political Pakistani organisation whose fundamental aim is the promotion of mo ...

), opened in 1949 *

Dhaka Ladies Club Dhaka Ladies Club is a club for "elite" women in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Jahanara Munnan is the present president of the club. History The club was opened in 1951 by a selected number of "elite" women. The founder of the club was Shamsia Shahbuddin wh ...

, opened in 1951 * Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, formed in 1970 * Banchte Shekha, established in 1976 * Naripokkho, formed in 1973 * Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers' Association, formed in 1979. * Hill Women's Federation(HWF)formed in 1988 *

Acid Survivors Foundation The Acid Survivors Foundation is a Bangladeshi non-governmental organisation dedicated to raising awareness and preventing acid attacks and providing survivors with medical and legal aid. History The Foundation was founded in Dhaka in 1999 b ...

, founded in 1999 * Awaj Foundation, founded in 2003 * Bonhishikha, formed in 2010. * Somporker Noya Setu (SNS), formed in 2010 * Mondro, formed in 2019

References