Out of the 49 members forming the newly unveiled cabinet, only three are women, making up a mere 6 percent of the top executive body of the government.
Sources from the BNP disclosed that Afroza Khanam Rita, the newly elected MP for Manikganj-3, is poised to assume the role of the civil aviation and tourism minister.
The party sources also indicated that Shama Obaid Islam, the member of parliament representing Faridpur-2, will undertake the position of state minister for foreign affairs, while Farzana Sharmin Putul from Natore-1 is slated to become the state minister for two ministries — women and children affairs, and social welfare.
The majority of the cabinet positions in the new lineup will be occupied by men, amounting to approximately 94 percent.
It is noteworthy that the three preceding cabinets had a higher proportion of female representation compared to the current one.
The cabinet in 2019 comprised four women out of 47 members, representing about 8.5 percent. They included then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dr. Dipu Moni, Begum Monnujan Sufian, and Begum Habibun Nahar.
Dr. Dipu Moni held the position of education minister, Begum Monnujan Sufian was the state minister for labour and employment, and Begum Habibun Nahar served as the deputy minister for environment, forest, and climate change.
In 2014, the cabinet featured five women among 57 members, translating to 8.77 percent. Besides then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the female members included agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, state minister for public administration Ismat Ara Sadek, state minister for women and children affairs Meher Afroz Chumki, and state minister for information Tarana Halim.
The cabinet of 2009 saw the highest female representation with five women out of 31 members, accounting for approximately 16.12 percent. The female members comprised then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sahara Khatun, Dipu Moni, Matia Chowdhury, and Munnujan Sufian.
Dr. Dipu Moni became the country’s first female foreign minister, Sahara Khatun assumed the role of the first female home minister, and Matia Chowdhury held the position of agriculture minister.
Experts have cautioned that the decrease in female representation at the cabinet level could erode the progress made over decades in terms of political empowerment.
The latest figure of just 6 percent underscores the disparity between women’s population share and their involvement in policy formulation, they emphasized.
Kamrun Nahar, a member of the women’s rights group Naripokkho, expressed that the low representation was not unexpected.
“This isn’t a new phenomenon. However, we had anticipated a more equitable representation,” she remarked.
She stressed that the government must give precedence to women in decision-making capacities. “With strong political backing from the leadership, substantial change can occur, enabling women to actively participate in politics,” she advocated.
