Bangladesh’s Election Commission data has revealed that women remain largely absent from the electoral race, as 30 of the 51 political parties contesting the upcoming national election have not fielded any female candidates, local media reported on Tuesday. The figures highlight a glaring disparity — despite women comprising half the population, they remain vastly underrepresented among candidates.
Among the 2,568 aspirants for the February 12 polls, only 109–4.24 per cent–are women, with 72 nominated by political parties, while the rest are independents, Bangladeshi leading newspaper The Daily Star reported.
Reports suggest that the exclusion is stark among the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which fielded 276 candidates without a single woman, followed by Islami Andolan Bangladesh with 268.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which was led by a woman for more than four decades, allocated tickets to only 10 women out of 328 aspirants for the 300 seats.
Several parties, including Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis with 94 candidates, Khilafat Majlis with 68, and the Bangladesh Islami Front (BIF) with 27, have entirely shut out women, fielding only male candidates.
According to Jesmin Tuli, a former additional secretary of the Election Commission and a member of the Electoral Reform Commission, the electoral process of Bangladesh is overwhelmingly male-dominated.
“Elections are not women-friendly,” she said, highlighting that while major parties nominate very few women, the smaller parties imitate them.
She added that financial constraints, social norms and lack of support further discourage women from entering the race.
“Most women who do come forward belong to political families. Very few rise through grassroots activism,” she said, emphasising that political parties have failed to nurture women’s confidence or incorporate them meaningfully in party committees.
Munira Khan, president of the Bangladesh Fair Election Monitoring Alliance, described the situation as “deeply frustrating”.
“Women contribute significantly to the economy and make up half of the population, yet their representation in parliamentary nominations is negligible,” she said.
“We shout about democracy all the time, but this picture of internal democracy within political parties is profoundly disappointing,” she added, questioning whether parties truly implement rules for including women in their structures.
Bangladesh has been gripped by escalating violence against women and children since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government assumed power, and critics warn that excluding women from decision-making is a serious concern.
