In the aftermath of the historic mass uprising on 5 August 2024, in which women played a leading role in protests and resistance, a surge in political awakening was expected to boost female participation in politics.
However, the nomination submission list for the 13th parliamentary election shows a reversal, with only 108 women candidates filing nomination papers, contesting for 110 seats, accounting for about 4.26% of total submissions.
By comparison, in the 2024 national election, a total of 2,713 candidates submitted nomination papers, of whom 133 were women, meaning female candidates accounted for around 4.90%.
The figures remain strikingly low, despite women comprising nearly half of the population and forming an estimated 63 million-strong voting bloc.
The decline in female candidacies for the upcoming polls runs counter to the “spirit of the mass uprising” that inspired many new female entrants into politics. However, systemic barriers within political parties have constrained their opportunities, according to political leaders and experts.
A notable shift has been the rise of non-partisan campaigns among aspiring female candidates, with independents emerging as the largest group, numbering 40. The trend suggests that many female aspirants are choosing to operate outside traditional party structures rather than compete within them.
“Without party backing, winning an election is extremely difficult, particularly for women,” Political scientist Professor Dilara Chowdhury told TIMES of Bangladesh.
“Unless women are integrated into party decision-making processes, we will continue to repeat the same historical pattern,” she added.
Dilara suggested proportional representation like Nepal’s but noted Bangladeshi parties’ disinterest.
Prominent independent female candidates for the upcoming polls include former BNP MP Rumeen Farhana, who is contesting from Brahmanbaria-2 after being denied a party ticket due to coalition arrangements, and Tasnim Zara, a former NCP leader running in Dhaka-9, who left her party in protest against its alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.
The partisan breakdown reveals fragmentation. BNP fielded 10 female candidates, matching Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist), while Jamaat-e-Islami fielded no female candidates.
BASAD contributed four female candidates, while Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal each fielded six. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal also nominated six female candidates, followed by AB Party with three, Jatiya Party (Japa) with five, and Ganosamhati Andolan with four.
NCP and National Peoples Party each fielded two female candidates. Single female candidates were nominated by Amjonotar Dal, Bangladesh Labour Party, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Bangladesher Biplobi Workers Party, Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesh Supreme Party, and the Bangladesh Muslim League. In addition, the Gono Odhikar Parishad fielded three female candidates.
In the 2018 national election, 68 women contested general seats, accounting for 3.7% of total candidates. In contrast, the 12th parliamentary election in 2024 saw 96 women entered the race.
Business, homemaking dominate professions
For the upcoming polls, business and homemaking have emerged as the dominant professions among female candidates, with 20 candidates identifying these as their primary occupations.
Among those listed as homemakers—including joint classifications—one candidate is identified as a homemaker and politician, one as a homemaker and intern lawyer, one as a homemaker with prior private-sector experience, and one as a homemaker engaged in cottage industry work.
Other declared professions include law (eight candidates), farming (three), and students (four).
Geographically, female participation remains skewed towards urban centres. Dhaka leads with 39 candidates, followed by Chattogram (20), Rajshahi (13), Khulna (10), Rangpur (nine), Mymensingh (six), Barisal (four) and Sylhet (three).
At the constituency level, Chattogram-10 recorded the highest number with 10 female candidates, followed by Cumilla-9 with nine. Bogura-6, Sirajganj-6 and Noakhali-6 each fielded six candidates, placing them jointly among the top five constituencies for female participation and highlighting the concentration of competition in a limited number of seats.
In contrast, female participation is minimal across a wide range of districts, each represented by only one candidate. These include Gaibandha-1, Jhenaidah-1, Madaripur-1, Natore-1, Bogura-1, Joypurhat-1, Noakhali-1, Jhalakathi-1, Munshiganj-1, Gazipur-1, Narsingdi-1, as well as several Dhaka constituencies such as Dhaka-1, Dhaka-3, Dhaka-5, and Dhaka-11, reflecting a sharply uneven district-wise distribution.
Financial disparities
Financial disclosures highlight sharp economic disparities among the female candidates. Annual declared incomes range from TK50,000, reported by Mosammat Asha Moni, an independent candidate, to Tk3.86 crore declared by Meherun Nesa Khan of the Jatiya Party.
Declared assets show an even wider gap, with Tahmina Akhtar of Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh reporting just Tk50,000, while Afroza Khanam Rita of BNP declared assets worth Tk28.25 crore.
Outstanding loans also vary dramatically: some candidates, including Zinnat Akhter and Dipa Majumder, reported no loans, whereas Tapashee Tanmoy Chowdhury, an independent, disclosed liabilities (Business loan) of Tk140.23 crore.
In addition, eight candidates revealed pending criminal cases in their affidavits.
A party-wise breakdown further underscores these contrasts. Within BNP, female candidates’ assets range from Tk63.82 lakh (Sansila Jebrin) to Tk28.25 crore (Afroza Khanam Rita).
Among independent candidates, the lowest declared assets are Tk3.2 lakh (Mosammat Asha Moni), compared to Tk10.05 crore reported by Shamima Azim.
Professor Dilara told TIMES that women led in the Liberation War and 2024 uprising but were sidelined post-event.
“We saw this during the Liberation War as well. Women were at the forefront, but after independence they were gradually pushed to the background.”
“As long as women are not directly elected, they cannot meaningfully participate in policy formulation or parliamentary decision-making,” she said.
Political parties, she added, must undertake internal reforms and comply with the Representation of the People Order (RPO) requirement that one-third of party committee members be women—a provision that is frequently ignored due to entrenched patriarchal attitudes.
“Many men believe they are ‘protecting’ women—saying, ‘my wife is taken care of’—and this mindset prevents women from being recognised as independent political actors,” she said.
