Understanding and measuring economic empowerment of Sutrapur slum women in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

In a country like Bangladesh, where division of population with respect to genders is nearly equal, it is of utmost importance that the women of that country are independent, feel equal to their counterparts, and most importantly contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP). This empowerment should be led by women of all strata of the economy, and for this specific purpose, women from low income families of Sutrapur slum, Gendaria, Bangladesh are chosen for this particular project. This slum is one of the biggest slums of the country, thus working in this particular area will be beneficial in manifolds as in enabling the research team to analyse and understand the population and also the large population will serve to be a representative of other slums in the country, thus making it easier to replicate the dissemination endeavours in the same target group in different geographical locations within the country. Two methods were used for selecting the participants such as systematic and purposive sampling. In systematic sampling, a total number of 400 interviews were conducted through a specially designed questionnaire. Face to face interrogations were conducted by the trained enumerators for data collection. A total of three Focused Group Discussions were held. These were conducted in order to generate qualitative information from the participants which can be further put into use in this project. This project assesses the current socioeconomic pattern of the women in the target area. It also understands the basic behavioural characteristics of the target group, their livelihoods, living patterns, etc. through information gathered from the women and their families. In consonance with the findings of the study and to answer the objectives of the study, the following conclusions were gotten from women living in the slum area and who have displayed potentials for socioeconomic empowerment, the existing facilities and utilities are inadequate to meet the needs and requirements of the community. In addition, the socioeconomic lives of women are better characterized and understood based on selected variables, and viable interventions have been concretely identified for implementation to directly benefit the women in particular and the community as a whole. However, based on findings earlier mentioned, viable interventions have been demonstrated to meet the overall objectives of the program. The woman of Sutrapur slum needs to be trained not only in their respective field but also on the benefits of long term savings and investments for their economic and own empowerment.