Masculinities, feminities and gender relations in contemporary Bangladesh: an analysis of the construction sector in Sylhet

[Extracted from introduction] Many women in Bangladeshi society do seem not to challenge patriarchy explicitly, rather they continue to believe in existing gender ideology that sustains women’s inferior status under the subjugation of men. Nevertheless, studies have documented how men’s and women’s changing role-relations both inside and outside the home in contemporary Bangladeshi society certainly have some implications for gender relations and are likely to challenge dominant notions of masculinity and femininity. Existing studies reveal that the cultural climate of Bangladesh is not in favour of female autonomy; nevertheless a vast majority of poor women are pushed into the labour market to earn a living for themselves and their family. Women located in the poorer strata of the society, for instance, the female construction workers, have transcended the cultural norms of the society and people’s perceptions in many ways through their actions. This complex process of transformation, however, has not had appropriate attention in Bangladesh. Although there are different laws in the country to provide a legal framework for women’s rights, in reality women can rarely take advantage of the laws formulated in their favour. The whole socialisation process of Bangladeshi women contributes to their internalisation of their marginal status in all aspects of their lives. Women are secluded by the norms of purdah which effectively reduces their ability to establish control over material resources and also helps to perpetuate their subordinate status within both the family and workplace. Because of the existing social and cultural patterns women in Bangladesh experience varying circumstances in which they can claim their legitimate share both in terms of the household and wider society. The broad objective of the study is to understand specifically located masculinities and femininities in the context of Bangladesh and to assess whether there are any changes experienced by the female construction workers within the family and workplace in relation to gender. This broad objective has been split into several specific objectives. These specific objectives are: 1. to understand the family structure of female construction workers in terms of family size, family type, head of the household, number of earning members, family income, number of children; 2. to explore the ways in which female construction workers negotiated with patriarchal norms to join the workforce; 3. to investigate whether the women engaged in paid work outside the home are redefining the notion of masculinity and femininity; 4. to explore the participants' experiences as workers (for example, in terms of discrimination on the basis of gender, attitude of male co-workers, and sexual harassment); 5. to examine whether women's access to income-earning opportunities have any implications for gender relations within the household specifically in terms of divisions of labour and decision making, and; 6. lastly, to examine whether the large number of women participating in construction work has had an impact on the erosion or recomposition of patriarchal values and norms. I demonstrate that applying an ethnographic approach to the understanding of masculinities, femininities and gender relations enables me to present simultaneously a broader and more nuanced picture. Throughout the thesis I argue that although patriarchal social structures and existing gender relations act as oppressive forces in Bangladeshi society, they are neither homogeneous nor unchangeable. I conclude with the note that in a changing socioeconomic context, masculinities, femininities and gender relations are also going through negotiations and transformations.