Women’s Empowerment Activities in Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Empowerment of women in rural areas is a pressing issue in the context of Bangladesh. In this regard, the Department of Social Services (DSS) has initiated the Rural Mother Center (RMC) program. The main goal of this program is the development and empowerment of women who reside in rural areas. It organizes disadvantaged, poor and troubled women to alleviate family-based poverty. Through its activities, women’s skills are enhanced, opportunities for self-employment are created, and their participation in economic activities and family decision-making is ensured. They are enabled to make small and large purchases, and they are made aware of education, health and nutrition. Their ability to resist domestic violence has increased. Women’s freedom of movement is ensured. Considering human resources, the RMC program is included in the revenue budget as a regular government program. The RMC Program contributes significantly to the development of women in achieving the UN-declared Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the National Women’s Development Policy-2011, the National Social Security Strategy Paper (NSSS) and the 8th Five Year Plan of the Government. The basic objective of the study is to analyze the role of the RMC in empowering women and to make recommendations on how to make this program more effective. Mixed methods are used in this study; both quantitative and qualitative methods have been applied. As Bangladesh is a poor country, the study selects four of the most poverty-stricken upazilas and four of the least poverty-stricken upazilas. A survey method is conducted for quantitative data collection. On the other hand, for qualitative data collection, focus group discussions (FGDs), case studies, and key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted to explore the depth of the problems. Through the survey, the socio-economic development of women over the past two years is examined. Trade-based training should be arranged for them. Trade-based training should be arranged for them. Data were collected regarding the challenges in empowering rural women and the respondents’ recommendations to overcome these challenges. Quantitative data were collected from a total of 160 women selected from eight upazilas. In this case, divorcees, widows, victims of abuse and torture, and the destitute are included. Qualitative data were collected using the objective guidelines of the research. To empower the working group members, the loan amount should be increased from BDT 50,000 to BDT 100,000. The loan repayment period should be changed from one year to two years.