TDS Desk:

Women account for half of all eligible voters in Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary election. The 64.8 million registered female voters make up 49.23 percent of the electorate. Despite remaining underrepresented in the country’s political and economic power structures, women wield electoral strength equal to men. Yet according to the Election Commission’s final candidate list issued after the January 20 withdrawal deadline, women account for just 4 percent of candidates.

Analysts widely regard the 1991, 1996 and 2001 general elections as acceptable and impartial. Reviewing those results shows the party that secured greater support from women voters went on to win. Studies and surveys also show women have consistently turned out in higher numbers than men in local elections. Analysts therefore say female voters will once again play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the upcoming poll.

More than 27.9 million women work in agriculture, the ready-made garment sector and small-scale industries. Most of them are eligible voters. They are joined by nearly 3 million female teachers and students, many of whom will also cast their ballots. Women therefore play a significant role in the national economy. Still, very few women enter politics as candidates or rise to decision-making positions. Analysts nonetheless say women’s votes will be critical in shaping the margin of victory.

A study in World Development Perspectives examining women’s participation in national and local elections in Bangladesh found that in the 2003 and 2011 Union Council elections, women were 1.4 and 0.9 percentage points more likely than men to vote. In the 2008 and 2014 national elections, women were 4.2 and 1.2 points more likely to cast a ballot.

Comparative turnout data across the four elections show rural women vote at higher rates than men, consistently outnumbering them at the polls in both national and local contests. Women’s votes were decisive in the fifth, seventh and eighth parliamentary elections.

Bangladesh Election Commission data show the fifth parliamentary election was held on February 27, 1991, with 62.18 million registered voters including 33 million men and 29.14 million women. Turnout in that election was 55.45 percent.

About 57 percent of female voters in the 1991 election supported the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, according to analysis of election results and contemporary media and research reports. The party then won a majority in that election.

The seventh parliamentary election was held on June 12, 1996. It saw 56.7 million registered voters including about 28.75 million men and 27.95 million women. Turnout reached roughly 75.6 percent. The Awami League won the contest with around 38 percent of the vote. Though relevant sources indicate about 35 percent of women voters supported the BNP.

The eighth parliamentary election took place on October 1, 2001. Total registered voters numbered 74.94 million, with roughly 38.53 million men and 36.29 million women. Overall turnout was about 75 percent. Female voters overwhelmingly backed the BNP. The contest was close: the BNP secured 41 percent of the vote, the Awami League just over 40 percent. Among women, however, around 57 percent voted for the BNP. While the Awami League led among men, women’s support carried the BNP to victory.

Beyond the polls, women’s participation in the economy has also expanded over time. They are now active in small and cottage industries, the garment sector and education. Over 18.17 million women work in agriculture and sector stakeholders note the need to increase recognition of women’s labour, participation and region-specific opportunities in farming. Yet the contributions of women in agriculture remain largely absent from election pledges of contesting parties.

Badrul Alam, president of the Bangladesh Krishok Federation, told journalists: “Fifty percent of women are directly involved in agriculture. Thirty percent of agriculture’s contribution to GDP comes from women’s labour. Election pledges suggest the parties have done no research on women’s work. They frame promises while confining women to domestic roles. But women work in the fields, on farms, and as entrepreneurs. In the northern region and indigenous areas such as those of the Santal, women are active in agriculture. But their work receives no recognition. Their labour requires legal protection and national economic acknowledgement. While we expect these from political parties, they haven’t been reflected.”

Asked about the expectations of women agricultural workers for the upcoming election, Aleya Bibi, a field labourer from Shariakandi, Bogura, said: “I don’t have great hopes. Nobody thinks about us. Whichever party comes to power, I’ll be satisfied if our wages increase.”

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data show 31.5 million people, including over 18.1 million women, work in agriculture. The sector employs 44.42 percent of the country’s total labour force, comprising 25.6 percent women and 18.82 percent men.

Over 6.49 million students and teachers are enrolled in Bangladesh’s higher education sector. This includes roughly 2.99 million women. Most are eligible voters, expected to consider candidates’ attitudes towards women, female empowerment, equal rights and workplace safety when voting.

Dr Rezwana Karim Snigdha, associate professor of anthropology at Jahangirnagar University, told journalists: “Women’s votes will play a crucial role in determining the election outcome. Parties, aware of this, are making various promises to attract female voters. Yet their actions often reveal their true commitment to securing women’s rights. Take cyberbullying, which has become severe. No party has taken a strong stance against it. Many female university students and teachers are conscious of their rights, while others are influenced by fathers, brothers or patriarchal structures. These factors will affect how women vote.”

A large number of students across higher education institutions will vote for the first time. They will also weigh several key issues when choosing candidates.

Rubaiya Jannat, a linguistics student at the University of Dhaka, told journalists: “Voting is not merely a civic duty; it’s direct participation in shaping the future. As a university student, my priorities are, first, women’s safety and dignity. I will favour the party that outlines concrete steps to prevent violence against women, ensure justice, and promote women’s socio-political participation. Second is the quality and freedom of education. Third is democracy and freedom of expression. I want a state where questioning is not a crime and dissent is respected rather than suppressed.”

The small and medium enterprise (SME) sector contributes 30.4 percent of GDP, with women’s participation steadily rising. National SME statistics show 11.9 million economic units. The sector employs 30.7 million people including 5.12 million women. These female entrepreneurs and workers are expected to play a major role in the upcoming election.

Shirajum Munira, owner of Sutar Kabbo and winner of the SME Foundation’s 2025 best female entrepreneur award, told journalists: “I’m a manufacturer. I have to run an entire factory with many workers. Surviving is becoming increasingly difficult. Loan conditions in the SME sector are extremely tough. They want mortgages and guarantors; we may lack property or struggle to arrange a guarantor. We expect economic stability from an elected government. We want to buy and sell smoothly and pay our staff. We don’t want the business we have built over years to face threats. We shouldn’t feel that becoming entrepreneurs was a mistake.”

Political parties have made various pledges to attract female voters. Asked about commitments on women’s participation in voting and the economy, Sadia Farzana Dina from the National Citizen Party told journalists: “The voting pattern of urban women differs from rural women. Working at the grassroots, I saw rural women will vote for the NCP and Jamaat in greater numbers than urban women. But urban realities differ. Educated women here will only vote ‘yes’ in the referendum if they find no worthy candidate. For parliamentary elections, they vote to strengthen the opposition.”

Mardia Mumtaz, a member of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s engineering wing, said the party’s women activists were highly active during the campaign. She told journalists: “Jamaat’s women were at the forefront of the campaign. We see no cause for concern regarding the vote. I believe attacks on them in various places were driven by fear of losing, after seeing the position Jamaat’s women had taken.”

The ready-made garment sector contributes significantly to exports and GDP, employing at least 3.7 million workers, including 2.22 million women. They are expected to consider wages and workplace facilities when voting, with many consulting their families.

Shilpi (a pseudonym) a garment worker from Gazipur, told journalists she could not specify all factors influencing her vote. She said that since her employment supports her family, she would choose candidates with the best pledges on wages, benefits and housing costs, prioritising her family’s opinion.

Shammi Akter, assistant secretary for local government of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, expressed optimism about women voters backing the BNP. She told journalists: “Women go to vote if the environment is good. Since they couldn’t vote the last few times, I hope women will go this time. Both men and women in our party are working. We hope that just as women supported our party in the past, the same will happen this time.”