Women at Leadership Positions in Bangladesh Civil Service

Background Of The Study

Several scholarships on women’s participation in the Bangladesh Civil Service are available. For example, Sultana and Ferdous (2017) have conducted a study to examine the status of women in leadership positions in the civil service of Bangladesh. They have found that although the number of women in the service has increased, their participation in the leadership positions does not reflect gender parity.

Mahtab (2014) has examined the position of Bangladeshi women in the civil service. She claims that the participation of women in the civil service is not satisfactory because of several barriers like negative treatment and attitudes of men towards women and institutional constraints that affect their career advancement. Kabir (2013) in her study on women’s participation in South Asia’s (Bangladesh, India & Pakistan) civil services finds that despite constitutional provisions for ensuring gender equality in all sectors, the status of women in administration, specifically, in the central decision-making arena, remains marginal due to different organizational, social, cultural and political factors.

Bilkis (2012) in a study on the motivation and de-motivation of female civil servants serving the Bangladesh Civil Service administration cadre claims that job security, job characteristics and family are the major motivating factors to join and continue in the service for women. In addition, she has identified a few de-motivating factors like the issue of transfer, particularly in remote areas, absence of separate toilet facility and daycare service, negative attitudes of male colleagues, delay or uncertainty in promotion, lack of market-based salary and dual duties in the office and home. She has further claimed that the situation is gradually improving with time.

Jahan (2010) has conducted a study focusing on the barriers that women civil servants deal with while working at the field level. The study finds dual responsibility of the job and family, insufficient housing facilities, lack of security, unpleasant working environment, and negative attitude of the community, colleagues and the authority as major impediments to women civil servants at the field. Likewise, Karim (2008) claims that class I female civil servants in the civil service of Bangladesh are under-represented in the service as a result of different structural, institutional, and operational factors.

Jahan (2007) asserts that women are far behind men in policy formulation positions. She finds posting in remote areas; family responsibilities; lack of childcare facilities in office; non-cooperation of male colleagues and family members; absence of appropriate and supportive environment in the workplace; superiority complexes and negative attitudes of male colleagues; lack of security and consequences of social backwardness as hindrances to their participation in the service.