Why Women Are Disappearing from Bangladesh’s Political Landscape
For over three decades, Bangladesh stood as a global anomaly: a nation consistently led by women. From 1991 until the 2024 revolution, the political landscape was dominated by two towering figures, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. Yet, as the country approaches a pivotal election on February 12, a stark reversal is taking place. Women are poised to be almost entirely excluded from the ballot, signaling a troubling retreat from that hard-won prominence.
With less than four percent of the candidates being women—just 76 out of 1,981 contestants—the coming parliament is set to be governed almost exclusively by men. For a generation of young voters, this is a disheartening shift. “I used to be proud that even though my country is not the most liberal, we still had two women figureheads at the top,” says first-time voter Ariana Rahman, 20. “Whoever won, the prime minister would be a woman.”
A Lost Opportunity for Change
Many had hoped the 2024 uprising that ended Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic rule would catalyze a new era of equality. While the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus established a Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, critics say it has been sidelined. Instead of inclusive reform, there has been a concerning surge in influence for Islamist groups that openly seek to restrict women’s participation in public life, calling for the removal of women from public events and opposing activities like women’s football.
The Systemic Barriers
The problem runs deeper than one election. An entrenched patriarchal mindset continues to relegate women to domestic spheres, while those who enter politics face hostility and vilification. “Women are censored, vilified… judged for simply being part of a political party,” says uprising leader Umama Fatema.
Even new political formations born from the revolution, like the National Citizen Party (NCP), are fielding almost no female candidates. Party member Samantha Sharmeen reveals a common experience: “I don’t take part in any decision-making of my party, (and) the biggest and most important decisions are not taken in our presence.”
Tokenism Instead of Empowerment
Bangladesh’s system of 50 parliamentary seats reserved for women, intended to boost representation, has instead perpetuated tokenism. “The concept of reserved seats is insulting,” argues candidate Manisha Chakraborty. “Lobbying, internal preference, nepotism — all play a role in making women’s participation in parliament just a formality.”
This system has failed to create a pipeline of independent women leaders. As Selima Rahman of the BNP notes, promising women often “fade away” due to a lack of institutional support within parties. The leadership of Hasina and Zia, while symbolically powerful, was also familial—a dynastic elevation that did not translate into broad-based empowerment for women across the political spectrum.
A More Hostile Future?
The implications are profound. The absence of women from candidate lists not only undermines democratic representation but also risks shaping a polity that is less responsive to half its population. With hard-line voices gaining confidence, the space for women in public life may shrink further.
As student voter Ariana Rahman fears, “The next few years are likely to be more hostile toward women.” Bangladesh now stands at a crossroads: will it reclaim its legacy as a nation where women lead, or will it accept a political landscape where they are seen but not heard? The ballots on February 12 may offer an answer, but the struggle for genuine inclusion is far from over.
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