Dhaka: Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) organized an awareness event titled ‘Time for Change: Engaging Youth to Transform Unpaid Care Norms’ at the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka, to promote the recognition of women’s unpaid household and care work and to ensure a fair distribution of these responsibilities.
According to United News of Bangladesh, speakers at the event highlighted that women in Bangladesh spend significantly more time than men on unpaid household and care work. This limits their opportunities for education, income-generating activities, and social participation. Recent statistics indicate that women’s labor force participation is around 36 percent, compared to more than 80 percent for men. The speakers emphasized that sustainable economic development will not be possible unless this disparity is addressed.
Professor Dr. Atonu Rabbani of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka pointed out that while there is little difference in earnings between men and women in the labor market until marriage or childbirth, the situation changes after childbirth. In countries like Denmark and Sweden, the income gap between spouses rises significantly after the birth of the first child, a problem that is even more pronounced in Bangladesh.
He mentioned that raising the type of children society aspires to have is costly and time-intensive. Decisions about who will devote more time to childcare often lead women to withdraw from the labor market due to biological and social factors. He also noted that male employees are sometimes required to work more than 12 hours a day, disrupting the balanced distribution of work within families.
Towfiqul Islam Khan, IRBD Coordinator at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), stressed the need for policymakers to understand societal desires before formulating policies. He highlighted that countries with women’s labor force participation exceeding 70 percent are more advanced in development, urging for an increase from Bangladesh’s current rate of about 35 percent.
Mohiuddin Mujahid Mahi, President of the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA), emphasized the media’s role in portraying women’s contributions to socio-economic development and the limitations they face. He stated that the media can play an important role in changing the mindset that men work outside while women stay at home.
The program included creative mime performances, documentary screenings, open dialogue sessions, photography and art exhibitions, and an award ceremony, with participation from university students, youth, researchers, teachers, journalists, and artists. The organizers stated that the initiative’s primary goal is to establish household and care work as a shared social responsibility through the active engagement of young people, especially young men.