Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) organized an awareness event titled “Time for Change: Engaging Youth to Transform Unpaid Care Norms” to promote recognition of women’s unpaid household and care work and to ensure a fair distribution of these responsibilities.
The program was held on Tuesday at the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Dhaka.
Speakers highlighted that in Bangladesh, women still spend significantly more time than men on unpaid household and care work. This limits their opportunities for education, income-generating activities, and social participation. According to recent statistics, women’s labor force participation stands at 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.
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Professor Dr. Atonu Rabbani of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka said that there is generally little difference in earnings between men and women in the labor market until marriage or the birth of their first child. However, the situation changes after childbirth.
He noted that in Denmark, five years after the birth of the first child, the income gap between spouses rises to 29 percent. In Sweden, the gap is nearly 20 percent. He believes the problem is even more pronounced in Bangladesh.
Professor Rabbani stated that rather than focusing solely on what kind of country we want to see in 20 years, a more important question is what kind of children we want to raise. Raising the type of children we aspire to have is both costly and time-intensive. When families must decide who will devote more time to childcare, biological and social factors often lead women to withdraw from the labor market for extended periods.
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He further added that in many cases, male employees are required to work more than 12 hours a day, even if they do not wish to. As a result, balanced distribution or specialization of work within the family is disrupted, ultimately forcing women to leave the labor market.
He emphasized that raising awareness or changing mindsets alone will not provide a lasting solution. Structural and systemic economic issues must also be addressed.
Towfiqul Islam Khan, IRBD Coordinator at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said that policymakers must first understand what people want before formulating policies. Countries where women’s labor force participation exceeds 70 percent are more advanced in development, whereas Bangladesh stands at only about 35 percent. He stressed that this rate must increase, as economic development is not possible without engaging half of the population.
Mohiuddin Mujahid Mahi, President of the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA), highlighted the role of the media in portraying women’s contributions to socio-economic development and the limitations they face. “The notion that men will work outside while women will stay at home is deeply ingrained in our society. The media can play an important role in breaking away from this mindset,” he said.
The program featured creative mime performances, documentary screenings, open dialogue sessions, photography and art exhibitions, and an award ceremony. University students, youth, researchers, teachers, journalists, and artists participated in the event. The organizers stated that the primary goal of the initiative is to establish household and care work as a shared social responsibility through the active engagement of young people- especially young men.