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Work without value for Bangladeshi women

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Summary of story from The Guardian, November 21, 2011

In Bangladesh, most households see no value in women’s work other than economic necessity.

This prevailing attitude raises questions about the value and effectiveness of economic empowerment.

A 2006 World Bank report argued that governments should invest in women and girls in order to achieve greater economic and social productivity stating that: “gender equality is smart economics”.

Unsurprisingly this market-based approach to women’s empowerment has gained support in the area of corporate social responsibility.

However, many women’s activists want the language of rights re-injected into the discourse which is dominated by economics.

“There is a great need now for feminist consciousness to animate [NGO] programmes,” said Professor Firdous Azim of Brac University.

“Otherwise, what we are getting is perhaps an improvement in the conditions of women, but very little change in their status and position in the family and community.”

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