Despite Being Key Voters, Women Barely Lead in Bangladesh Election
Female candidates remain significantly underrepresented in Bangladesh’s 2026 election, with only 85 women contesting out of 1,981 candidates. Despite women being a key voter group, their low presence in leadership and campaign activities highlights ongoing gender gaps in politics, say activists and candidates.
“Sultana’s Dream Lives in All of Us, Women’s Empowerment Transcends Borders”
Acclaimed Spanish filmmaker and animator Isabel Herguera speaks to BD Voice about Sultana’s Dream, her deeply personal cinematic journey inspired by Begum Rokeya’s visionary feminist text. Reflecting on her first visit to Bangladesh, her emotional trip to Rokeya’s birthplace in Pairaband, and the universal struggle for women’s safety and autonomy, Herguera explains why women’s empowerment transcends language, geography, and borders.
The interview was conducted by Audity Falguni.
Demanding for a ‘Ladyland/Republic for Women’ and ‘A Room of One’s Own’
Begum Rokeya and Virginia Woolf, writing from different worlds yet confronting the same structures of patriarchy, imagined liberating spaces where women could think, create and lead. From Rokeya’s visionary Ladyland in Sultana’s Dream to Woolf’s reflections on intellectual freedom in A Room of One’s Own, their ideas continue to shape feminist thought. A recent screening of Sultana’s Dream renews this dialogue across time, cultures and mediums. Audity Falguni writes for BD Voice readers.
A Vision of Non-Communal, Humane and Scientific Society
Today marks the 146th birth anniversary of Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932), a pioneer of women’s awakening, an educationist, and a writer. The imagination of a non-communal, inclusive, and science-minded society that she presented a century ago remains equally relevant today.
Legislation should reflect principles of equality and respect for human rights: Taslima Nasrin
Renowned author and human rights advocate Dr. Taslima Nasrin emphasized the urgent need for a clear separation between state and religion to ensure genuine equality for women.
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