Women in Bangladesh

I have visited some areas in Bangladesh. Most visits were during the panchayat level election time. I am impressed with how active women are in Bangladesh. Many of election candidates were women. In fact, places where I conducted focus group discussion, I got to watch some woman candidate campaign for election. I understand Bangla about 80 percent and I can tell her campaign was great. It was a very powerful political campaign. I cannot even imagine coming up with such agenda for a political campaign. In focus group discussions I had invited 12 women, but in one of my focus group, there were 30 participants. I asked them why they all wanted to come. They told me they had lot to say and I thought that was great. Bangladeshi women participation in politics is an equally impressive thing. The major political leaders are women and the major ministries are run by women.