Re-evaluating the Women’s Empowerment Index: Insights from Bangladesh
Sarawat Rashid ।। The Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) offers a structured approach to understanding women’s empowerment worldwide. With categories like decision-making participation, control over resources, healthcare influence, organizational involvement, leadership, and protection from violence, the WEI serves as a benchmark for measuring women’s autonomy across different domains. While these indicators provide valuable insights, they may not fully encapsulate the unique realities faced by women in various cultural and socio-economic contexts. In Bangladesh, for instance, the experiences of educated, earning women challenge the completeness of the index, revealing gaps that call for a deeper, context-specific understanding of empowerment.
1. Participation in Decision-Making
Globally, women’s participation in household decision-making is viewed as a fundamental marker of empowerment. The WEI presupposes that an empowered woman plays an active role in decisions affecting her family and household. However, in Bangladesh, this ideal is often out of reach, even for women who are financially contributing members of their households. Cultural norms continue to privilege male authority, and even educated, earning women frequently find themselves excluded from significant decisions. This lack of decision-making power undermines the potential of these women to achieve true autonomy and leads to a scenario where their contributions are undervalued.
Decision-making extends beyond economic contributions. To truly capture women’s empowerment, indicators must consider whether a woman’s voice is respected and valued in the household and broader society. Decision-making indicators could be more refined, capturing the degree of influence women hold within their families beyond basic participation.
2. Control Over Financial Resources
The ability to control personal earnings is another critical aspect of empowerment, as it allows women to exercise autonomy and make decisions based on their needs and priorities. According to the WEI, control over resources is gauged by whether women manage their own earnings and, in some cases, those of their husbands. However, in Bangladesh, this autonomy is rare. For married women, financial control often rests with the husband, while unmarried women face similar restrictions from parents. This limited control over earnings—despite education and employment—reinforces the notion of financial dependence and diminishes their sense of self-worth.
The index should consider whether women are not only earning but also genuinely exercising financial control. Even in cases where women technically “earn” money, social constraints often prevent them from independently managing their finances. Indicators might be strengthened by assessing not only earnings but the degree of unrestricted access and decision-making power over these earnings.
3. Influence Over Health Decisions
Women’s influence over their healthcare decisions, as highlighted by the WEI, is essential for empowerment. In Bangladesh, this domain poses unique challenges. Despite earning an income, many women lack the autonomy to make health-related decisions independently. Decisions on healthcare are often influenced by cultural norms or controlled by male family members. In cases of reproductive health, for instance, husbands and in-laws may hold substantial influence, further limiting women’s control.
This limited autonomy over health decisions affects not only women’s immediate wellbeing but also their ability to assert control over their bodies and health futures. An index that focuses solely on health decision-making without contextualizing the broader influences on these choices may overlook the pressures and obstacles that affect women’s ability to exercise agency over their health.
4. Participation in Community Organizations and Leadership
Participation in organizations and leadership roles within the community are markers of empowerment that reflect social engagement and influence. The WEI assumes that community involvement contributes to women’s empowerment by broadening their networks, fostering personal growth, and enabling them to drive change. However, in Bangladesh, women’s participation is often limited by societal norms that discourage or even prohibit women’s involvement in such activities.
Even when women participate, leadership opportunities may be restricted, with positions often reserved for men. Additionally, women who do take on leadership roles in community organizations may face backlash or stigmatization, which can deter them from pursuing these opportunities. Expanding indicators of empowerment to measure societal attitudes toward female leadership, alongside the actual participation rates, could provide a clearer picture of the barriers to women’s empowerment.
5. Zero-Tolerance Policies on Sexual Abuse and Violence
Zero-tolerance policies on sexual abuse and violence, as applied in the workplace, are a critical aspect of the WEI. Such policies are intended to protect women from harassment and create a safer environment. However, in Bangladesh, even educated, employed women are frequently subjected to sexual harassment, both at home and in the workplace. Despite being financially independent, they face harassment and intimidation that limits their mobility and makes it challenging to work in a safe, respectful environment. This discrepancy underscores the limitations of zero-tolerance policies that are not enforced uniformly or lack mechanisms for accountability.
Empowerment indicators should be redefined to measure not only the presence of policies but also the extent of their enforcement and the lived experiences of women subjected to harassment. Without meaningful implementation, policies alone do little to advance women’s empowerment.
Moving Forward: Redefining Empowerment Indicators
To better reflect the experiences of women in countries like Bangladesh, the Women’s Empowerment Index requires a more comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach. Empowerment is a complex and multifaceted concept that cannot be captured solely through broad categories. For the index to be relevant and impactful, it must account for the social, cultural, and familial constraints that limit women’s choices and control, despite financial independence or education.
Additional indicators could be introduced to assess:
Freedom of mobility: Does the woman feel safe and free to move about her community without harassment or intimidation?
Access to safe and equitable workplaces: Are workplaces not only equipped with zero-tolerance policies but also environments that genuinely protect and respect female employees?
Agency in reproductive health decisions: Does the woman have full autonomy over her reproductive health and choices?
A reevaluated WEI that considers these factors would not only provide a more accurate reflection of women’s empowerment but also highlight the unique challenges that women face in countries with restrictive social norms. Such an index would serve as a valuable tool for identifying areas for intervention, guiding policies that genuinely advance women’s rights, and fostering a global environment where all women can thrive and achieve true empowerment.
Sarawat Rashid: Joint Director, Rural Development Academy [RDA], Bogura
