Bangladesh is facing a multifaceted economic challenge beyond just poverty, with households and the economy becoming increasingly fragile, relying on individuals pushing themselves to the limit to survive. The recent launch of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) book, titled “The Real State of Bangladesh’s Economy: The Return of Poverty and the Dynamics of Resilience,” highlighted concerns about the risk of more people slipping into poverty and the vulnerability of those barely above the poverty line. According to the World Bank’s October 2026 assessment, approximately 21 lakh more individuals fell into poverty in FY2025-26, indicating a widening economic insecurity that is affecting not only the poorest but also those previously considered economically stable.
Even if a household is officially above the poverty threshold, it may still struggle to afford basic necessities such as food, clean water, electricity, transportation, and healthcare. A single unexpected event like an illness, job loss, or price hike can disrupt its financial stability. For many, poverty is not a fixed state but a constant threat of regression, emphasizing the importance of examining the economy through a feminist lens.
During discussions, a local term, “hoirani,” was used to depict the daily struggles of survival, encompassing the challenges, stress, and ongoing exhaustion of navigating everyday life, including finding affordable food, coping with shortages, dealing with inadequate services, and making insufficient income last longer. This goes beyond mere inconvenience, representing the toll of an economy that makes survival an arduous task.
Women often bear a disproportionate share of this burden, stretching meals, taking on extra care responsibilities, and postponing their own needs when budgets are tight. The unpaid domestic and care work contributed significantly to the economy, with women accounting for 85 percent of it. While resilience is celebrated, the question arises: at what cost? When resilience translates to working longer hours, cutting back on essentials, increasing borrowing, delaying medical care, and providing more unpaid care, it becomes a form of self-exploitation.
The impact of healthcare costs further exacerbates this precarious situation, especially for households with members facing chronic illnesses, leading to recurring expenses that compete with funds needed for essential needs like food and education. Climate change adds another layer of pressure, with extreme heat affecting health and reducing earnings, and water scarcity requiring additional labor to secure safe water sources, often falling on women to manage alongside their existing responsibilities. The informal sector, which employs a significant portion of the population, lacks secure earnings and social protections, making it challenging for workers to withstand financial shocks.
The garment sector, a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s export industry, presents its own set of challenges, including low wages and limited opportunities for women to advance to higher-paying roles. As automation reshapes production processes, women must be empowered to lead technological changes rather than bearing the brunt of displacement costs. Addressing these issues requires a fundamental shift in how income, resources, risks, and power are distributed within the economy.
Key recommendations include establishing living wages that accurately reflect the cost of living, treating care services as public infrastructure to alleviate household burdens, empowering women with greater control over economic resources, and reforming institutions to promote financial inclusion, market access, and decent work opportunities. Ultimately, sustainable economic transformation hinges on systemic changes rather than short-term solutions, ensuring that people can live with dignity without resorting to self-exploitation.
