Women of East Pakistan: A Review in Terms of Development and Empowerment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59815/bhs.vol2709

SHANTA PATRANOBISH

Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Dhaka

Abstract: The partition of India in 1947 led to the creation of two independent states, India and Pakistan. Bengal was divided, and eastern Bengal became the eastern wing of Pakistan, known as East Pakistan. What was the overall condition of women in East Bengal within the State of Pakistan? Unfortunately, there has been no extensive research yet that presents the picture of women’s progress in East Pakistan during the Pakistan era, especially in terms of indicators of women’s development and empowerment. This study seeks to fill that gap by investigating the actual status of women in East Pakistan during this period. Primarily the questions of this investigation are: what was the actual condition of women in East Pakistan based on indicators of women’s development and empowerment? Were they progressing or regressing relative to the times? What role did the State play in empowering women? To explore the answer of these questions, both primary and secondary sources have been carefully examined. Census report, proceedings, annual report, newspapers, books and scholarly articles are the basis of this paper. This paper presents an analytical narrative of women’s economic, political, legal, social and cultural status in East Pakistan. Following a historical research method, the paper concludes with the findings that key indicators of women’s empowerment, such as access to resources, involvement in financial decisions, legal recourse, personal and workplace safety, and control over reproduction remained unachieved for the majority of women in East Pakistan.

Key Words: Women Empowerment, Development, Reproduction, Female Entrepreneur, Wage Discrimination, Self-Reliance, Legal Protection