Shamsunnahar Seba
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said that if his party comes to power in the next general election, official working hours for women will be reduced from eight to five hours a day.

After I shared a news article on his comment with a caption critical of the decision, a person expressed surprise in the comment section, saying he did not understand how this stance went against women. That person is certainly not the only one who might find it difficult to feel how such a move would eventually work to eliminate women from the job market.

To help their understanding, it is worth noting that business has no room for welfare in a capitalist economy. Why would a company hire a woman at the same wage as a male employee only to receive three hours less output? We cannot expect such generosity from the private sector when we already witness apathy in their hiring policies towards recruiting women.

According to the ‘Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) 2023’ report of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the country’s total female workforce in employment dropped to 24.51 million in 2023 from 24.86 million in the previous year. In contrast, the number of employed men was 46.47 million last year. One of the main reasons behind this gap could be the smaller number of female graduates compared to males, owing to discrimination they face from birth. But this setback alone does not justify such a vast difference, where the male workforce nearly doubles the female.

What could be the reason behind this poor ratio of female workers, then? Are women less efficient than their male counterparts? It might be the case sometimes, but women are not to blame for any lack of efficiency. The learning opportunities available to boys and girls are far from equal in our country. That may sound implausible to some. One might argue that parents nowadays no longer discriminate between sons and daughters when it comes to ensuring access to education. However, educational institutions are not the only places where children learn. Knowledge is shaped by many factors beyond textbooks. A child learns from every element in their surroundings – from the playground and cropland to the morning walk and the night sky. Can parents guarantee an equal environment for their children outside the home? We all know the answer. It is, therefore, a collective failure of the state, society and sometimes parents that girls are not raised to be as equally prepared for the job market as boys.

Despite these setbacks, women are outshining men in many areas. In recent years, girls have consistently outperformed boys in both the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations. Given the discrimination women already face, a move to reduce women’s official working hours would only worsen their presence in the economic sphere. It would discourage companies from hiring women.

Some might argue that the Jamaat ameer did not intend to harm women’s economic prospects – he merely wanted to lessen their workload. But the reality is that such a move would not reduce their overall working hours; it would only cut their hours at the office. The rest of their time would inevitably be spent on unpaid domestic work. If Shafiqur Rahman sincerely wishes to reduce women’s workload, he should consider measures that encourage men to take greater responsibility in the household. Unfortunately, his proposal to cut women’s working hours from eight to five reflects a disregard for women’s wellbeing.

Had he truly considered their welfare, he would not have said, “If we make it five hours instead of eight, mothers – being so committed – will feel that it is their responsibility to complete eight hours’ worth of work within those five hours.” He expects women to deliver the same output in less time while taking on greater pressure – that is hypocrisy.

Yet, some will still defend his position, arguing that women should spend more time at home because men are not as capable of caring for the family. This is a myth carefully nurtured by a male-dominated ruling class. All of us know relatives, colleagues, or friends who are perfectly capable of looking after their families. Only yesterday, one of my colleagues proudly shared that his children prefer the food he cooks to his wife’s. Among my relatives too, it is not uncommon to see children enjoying their fathers’ care and company.

The Jamaat ameer deserves thanks for making his stance against women clear, instead of acting like a silent killer by working quietly to confine women to their homes. We expect the party to make its stance on women’s freedom even clearer so that voters can be fully aware of the consequences of bringing such a party to power in the upcoming election scheduled for February.
______________________________The writer is a Senior Sub-Editor at the Daily Sun