Transforming Education and TVET in Bangladesh Through Gender-Responsive Approaches

Bangladesh’s education and TVET sectors are pivotal to the nation’s ambition of achieving upper-middle-income status by 2031, yet persistent gender stereotypes and inequalities hinder equitable progress. The attached “Gender: The Basic” resource by Dr. Hani Yulindrasari provides foundational concepts on sex versus gender, stereotypes, sexism, and intersectionality, offering a critical lens to address these challenges in Bangladesh’s context. This article explores these ideas, linking them to local realities in education and TVET, where female participation lags despite parity in primary and secondary schooling.​​

Distinguishing Sex from Gender in Bangladesh’s Educational Landscape

Sex refers to biological attributes—fixed characteristics like reproductive organs and hormones—while gender encompasses cultural and social constructs, including roles, behaviors, and expectations that are dynamic, interchangeable, and performative. In Bangladesh, this distinction is crucial because societal norms often conflate the two, reinforcing rigid roles that limit opportunities, particularly in education and TVET. For instance, biological needs like menstrual health require targeted support in schools, but cultural expectations—such as girls handling domestic chores—exacerbate dropout risks.​​

In general education, Bangladesh has achieved near gender parity at primary and secondary levels, with girls often outperforming boys in enrollment. However, this parity fades in higher education and especially TVET, where female enrollment in diploma programs hovers around 12% in public institutions. Gender stereotypes portray technical fields as “masculine,” associating them with strength and dominance, while “feminine” traits like nurturing are linked to weakness or domesticity. These perceptions deter girls from STEM-oriented courses, perpetuating occupational segregation.​​

The Harmful Grip of Gender Stereotypes and Attitudes

Gender stereotypes involve fixed beliefs about how men and women “should” behave, with descriptive (what they are) and prescriptive (how they must act) components shaping social expectations. In Bangladesh, men are stereotyped as breadwinners suited for technical roles, while women are seen as caregivers unfit for “dirty” or physically demanding trades. The resource highlights how these lead to rigid norms, gender policing (disapproval of non-conformity), and sexism—systemic oppression favoring men.​​

Traditional sexism manifests overtly through discriminatory practices, while modern, hostile, and benevolent forms are subtler: hostile sexism derogates women openly, and benevolent sexism patronizes them as “delicate” needing protection, limiting leadership access. In Bangladeshi TVET polytechnics, focus group discussions reveal non-conducive environments: lack of separate facilities, male-dominated faculty, and harassment affecting over 60% of female students, driving high dropouts. Demand-side barriers include reputational stigma—TVET viewed as for “low performers” or male-only—and weak awareness among families. Supply issues like distant institutions, high costs for poor households, and few female-friendly courses compound this.​​

These stereotypes extend to the workforce: in the garment industry, women dominate low-skill roles but face barriers to supervisory positions due to pay discrimination and limited mid-level TVET training. Only 24% average female participation in TVET underscores the urgency, as raising it to male levels could boost GDP growth by 1.8 percentage points annually.​

Masculinity, Femininity, and Multiple Expressions

Masculinity and femininity are not monolithic; they represent ideal and practiced constructions of “how to be a man/boy” or “woman/girl.” Culturally associated traits—masculine with power, feminine with weakness—detach from biology and become qualifiers (e.g., “masculine strength” for machines). In Bangladesh’s patriarchal society, “hegemonic masculinity” prioritizes male dominance, sidelining women in education leadership and technical TVET.​

TVET programs reinforce this: engineering diplomas are male-heavy, while “female-friendly” courses cluster in textiles or home economics, limiting economic mobility. Women’s polytechnics have even discontinued some supervisory courses due to low demand from discriminatory industry hiring. Diverse femininities and masculinities exist—rural women in agriculture or urban garment workers show resilience—but stereotypes constrain expression, especially for non-conforming individuals facing gender policing.​​

Intersectionality: Beyond Gender Alone

Intersectionality recognizes how gender intersects with class, rural-urban divides, ethnicity, disability, and poverty, creating compounded disadvantages. In Bangladesh, poor rural girls face layered barriers: early marriage, household duties, transport issues, and family bias favoring boys. Biological needs (e.g., menstrual rest) and cultural loads (e.g., drought-impacted chores) amplify vulnerabilities.​​

For TVET, intersectionality explains why low-income ethnic minority girls from remote areas enroll less: minimum entry requirements (Grade 8) exclude many, and costs deter poor families. ILO-supported strategies note TVET’s failure to address these, perpetuating inequality rather than transformation. Recent data shows only 1.9 million (2.2% male, 1.3% female) in formal TVET, highlighting gaps.​

Challenges in Bangladesh’s Education and TVET Sectors

General education sees progress, but quality issues persist: gender-responsive curricula are rare, and teacher biases reinforce stereotypes. In TVET, public institutions report 9-13% female enrollment, private up to 33%, averaging 24%. Key challenges:​

• Infrastructure Gaps: Insufficient hostels, toilets, safe transport.​

• Curriculum Bias: Male-centric trades; few on emerging fields like green skills.​

• Faculty and Culture: Male-dominated staff; harassment cultures.​

• Industry Linkages: Employers perceive women unfit for technical roles.​

• Awareness and Access: Families prioritize boys; reputational stigma.​

National Skills Development Policy (2011) mandates gender balance, yet implementation lags without disaggregated data or SMART objectives.​

Pathways to Gender-Responsive Reforms

Drawing from the resource, Bangladesh can build equitable systems.​

Policy and Curriculum Overhaul

Adopt the National Strategy for Gender Equality in TVET: remove entry barriers, mainstream gender in curricula, and develop female-friendly courses in high-demand sectors like construction and STEM. Integrate gender basics training for teachers, using modules on stereotypes and intersectionality. Promote English and soft skills to boost female employability.​​

Infrastructure and Safety Measures

Invest in women-only facilities, safe transport, and anti-harassment policies—critical as 60% of female TVET students face issues. Scholarships and stipends for poor, rural, and marginalized girls.​

Changing Attitudes and Leadership

Train leaders on gender concepts to challenge stereotypes. Campaigns via media and community outreach to rebrand TVET as empowering for women. Industry incentives for hiring female graduates.​​

Intersectional Interventions

Target compounded vulnerabilities: mobile TVET for rural areas, disability-inclusive programs, and ethnic minority quotas. Monitor via gender-disaggregated data.​​

Success Stories and Emerging Trends

Garment sector skill formation has elevated some women, though mid-level gaps remain. Recent reforms emphasize gender-responsive TVET to curb harassment and dropouts. Scaling these with private sector buy-in could transform outcomes.​​

Towards an Inclusive Future

Embracing gender basics—challenging stereotypes, addressing sexism, and honoring intersectionality—can unlock Bangladesh’s human capital. Equitable education and TVET will not only boost GDP but empower women as leaders, innovators, and skilled workers. Policymakers, educators, and industries must act decisively for a gender-just future.