Page 1 of 11

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 02 Issue 9

September 2016

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 184

Women’s Participation in Bangladesh Local Government: The Lowest Tier

Perspective

Jannatul Ferdous

(Faculty, Dept. of Public Administration, Comilla University, Bangladesh)

Abstract

Union Parishad (UP), the lowest tier of the

Local Government (LG) is a key element

that acts as the vital role to support

sustainable development of the rural public

of Bangladesh. In the Union Parishad (UP),

women members are the pivotal fact of local

government of Bangladesh in the rural

areas. Women's participation in local

government is responsible for the process of

separation and exclusiveness of the caste,

occupation, group, kinship and social

mobility on the performance of factionalism

has far-reaching consequences. A

Patriarchal social system of male

superiority and female subordination

recognition is performed on the low status of

women and unequal sexual relations and are

connected. Rural communities in

Bangladesh, therefore, disequilibrium threat

is posed. Equal rights of women to

participate in politics and repeatedly act in

constitutionally entrenched fundamental

rights are affirmed in several pieces.

Despite their endorsement of a series of

features to promote consensus, empirical

research in relation to the desired goal is a

very disappointing result. In this paper, the

investigation shows that the Union Parishad

(UP) had some fundamental limitations that

prevent women's participation in. While the

most popular form of grassroots democratic

union organization. Thus, at the lowest level

of participation of women and women's

status is extremely important to participate

in asking for extraordinary consideration.

Drawing on these investigations, a

compassionate approach to gender-centric

in UP will give exceptional concern for

accommodating the workplace to improve by

nurturing a positive relationship in which

male and female will be interdependent and

interconnected as well as cooperative to

each other.

Key words: women, representation, local

government, union parishad, Bangladesh

Introduction

The number of man is 72109796, where the

number of women is 71933901 (BBS,

2014). So, Women in Bangladesh constitute

more than half of its whole people. The

positions of women in the contemporary

world are not comparable to their male

counterparts. It is needed to take proper care

of regarding the problems of women. Due to

gender discrimination, women got poor

status in economic, social and political

aspects (Naz, 2006). Lack of women's

participation in power and decision-making

level is strongly responsible for this poor

situation. Women's participation in the

national as well as local government is

called for as a face. A sub-system of the

national government is the local government

Page 2 of 11

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 02 Issue 9

September 2016

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 185

bodies. From the point of view of the

involvement and representation of women in

these bodies is essential. Many benefits are

derived from the local government system,

such as recognition of local needs, as well as

the low probability of error, check on

bureaucracy and straight communication

with people (Amin & Akhter, 2005). Union

Parishad (UP) is the focal point of

Bangladesh local government in the rural

areas. In this paper reveals the status of

women's participation in local government,

particularly the Union Parishad and to

identify factors that would prevent

participation of women. At the same time

this paper is to lift this situation would

suggest some remedial measures.

Conceptual Framework

Gender

On one hand, the differences between male

and female are determined biologically, on

the other hand by society. There are

dissimilarities concerning sex and gender.

Sex is the biological differences between

male and female. Gender describes the

personal and psychological individualities

accompanying with being man and women

called masculinity and femininity. Women‟s

marginal status has been seen as natural and

a fact of their biology (Kabir, 2013). It is

very much prevalent that, Gender inequality

is the outcome of social processes than

biological issues.

Women

Women are never treated as general

representatives of humanity or general

people. They are specifically feminine

gender and normally sexual categories. In

family life, women are recognized as

nurturers. Women are presented as

someone‟s mother, daughter, sister or wife

at the community level. They are seen as

dependent and subordinate to her male

counterpart (Mahtab, 2012). It is necessary

to share equal rights and opportunities for

the development of the country.

Participation

Participation is the involvement of people in

decision making procedure. Participation

denotes cooperative and incessant

determinations by individuals themselves in

set objectives, assembling means organized

and taking actions which aims at

enlightening their living situations (Mishra,

1984). Again, Participation denotes

individuals are thoroughly involved in the

financial, societal, traditional and

governmental procedure that distresses their

existence (UNDP, 1993).

Local Government

Local Government is concerned with the

governance of local territory. It performs as

an agent of the state (Lockard, 1968). In

South-Asian perspective, local government

is largely known as local self-government. It

comes from the British government through

administering the South-Asian local affairs

(Hasan, 2007). “Local Government” is a

representative elected body of people of the

local territory, have some delegated power

and each of them continue for a specific

period of time.

Union Parishad (UP)

The rural/regional local government has

three layers in Bangladesh, including Zila

Parishads, Upazila Parishads and Union

Parishads (Talukder, 2009). Union Parishad

is the oldest and lowest tier of local

Page 3 of 11

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 02 Issue 9

September 2016

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 186

government system. Every Union is

composed of nine Wards. Generally, one

village is chosen as a Ward. A Union

Council involves a Chairman and twelve

members with three members solely kept for

women. Union Parishads are shaped under

the Local Government (Union Parishads)

Act, 2009. With three women members,

there are nine general members also. Every

five years, the members and Chairman are

directly elected by election on the source of

adult franchise. Three reserved women

members, are also elected by direct election,

one for each three Wards.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the paper are given below:

1) To present the existing status of women

in the lowest tier of the local government in

the Union Parishad.

2) To find out the obstacles behind the lower

representative status of women in the Union

Parishad.

3) To propose actions to raise the

participation of women in the Union

Parishad of Bangladesh.

Methodology

This study is ultimately done on the basis of

the analyzing the information collected from

different secondary sources, i.e. published

books, journals, reports, government

publications and newspapers. Some

information also got from the browsing of

the internet.

Progression of Local Government

in Bangladesh

Local Government (LG), the history of this

part of the world is very old. Local

organizations have existed since ancient

times. Village self-government (VSG) was

as old as their own villages. VSGs were

responsible for their internal organization

and the socioeconomic development of the

autonomous units. VSGs, in different times

and places, took different forms and

functions. However, the two organizations -

the Headman and the Panchayet- with

considerable variation in their powers and

functions, appear to have existed since the

ancient times. The 'Headman', usually from

the dominant race, is the most powerful

person in the village. He was not elected by

the general people. The village Panchayet

was an elected body to perform the

executive and judicial tasks (Hussain, 2003).

Later, during the reign of the Mughals, the

revenue collection system became more

systematic, and the local administration

became more dynamic (Khan, 2011). The

British Government presented “The Village

Chaukidari Act, 1870 (Bengal Act VI of

1870)” - that endeavored to resuscitate the

old Panchayat structure (Rahman, 2013).

This Act assigned the district magistrate

with the authority to arrange of Panchayat

consists of a five member for each village. A

three-tier structure came into action as

district board of the district, local board for

subdivision, and the union committee under

“The Bengal Local Self-Government Act,

1885”. That is for several villages dispersed

over a range of 10-12 square miles. Farther

along, the previous three-tier system was

switched by a two-tier system entailing of

union board and district board through the

presentation of the Bengal Village Self- Government Act 1919. All through the