This is not an isolated incident. The same effort to marginalise women that we see in different social, cultural, and economic spheres is also evident in politics. But since women’s advancement in politics is closely tied to women’s empowerment, patriarchal politics remains far more active in holding women back here than in other fields.
Few women have the courage to compromise their self-respect and still move forward. This makes patriarchy’s weapon almost infallible. Women are gradually branded as unfit for politics, lose their acceptability, and eventually step down from the political stage of their own accord. The result—male victory and complete control over the political field.
It doesn’t take deep political acumen to comprehend the way women are marginalised in Bangladesh’s political arena. The issue has become so stark that it can no longer be ignored.
Even today, in 2025, women politicians in this country have not been able to rise above the label of “woman.” Our perception of them is still body-centric. Women have yet to be seated on the real stage of politics beyond the politics of the body, or perhaps this has not been allowed. In the real political field or the virtual world, women’s strength, intelligence or leadership still has not risen above their physicality.
A woman on the political stage becomes, in the eyes of other women, an abstract symbol of the struggle for rights, someone who gives courage to thousands. And that is precisely what men fear
The marginalisation of women unfolds in social media or online outlets driven by click bait, and sometimes even in the mainstream media, reducing women politicians to their dress, their bodies, or their character.
The question is: why this tendency?
This is not an isolated incident. The same effort to marginalise women that we see in different social, cultural, and economic spheres is also evident in politics. But since women’s advancement in politics is closely tied to women’s empowerment, patriarchal politics remains far more active in holding women back here than in other fields.
Men accept women’s presence in politics only so long as women can be used to help men reach their desired goals. Once those goals are achieved, all tactics are employed to push women into a corner.
I know many will cite the governments led by women over the past few decades, but the fact that a few women have occupied high positions does not represent the overall political culture of the country. If it did, then despite the mandatory requirement of 33 per cent women members in political parties, the political stage would not have turned into a Men’s Club or a male-dominated arena.
The scale of women’s marginalisation in politics seems today to have surpassed everything in the past. Social media has pushed this tendency beyond control
Politics teaches how to lead movements to realise demands. A woman on the political stage becomes, in the eyes of other women, an abstract symbol of the struggle for rights, someone who gives courage to thousands. And that is precisely what men fear. To them, it is natural for women to remain at home, raise children, and manage household affairs. Why, then, should women step out into the world or raise their voices for rights?
It is not merely women’s power that men fear; rather, they fear the social change that women’s leadership implies, a redistribution of the power structures monopolised by men. As a result, authoritarian men who have long enjoyed the taste of power are shaken, and to protect their own interests they declare an all-out war against women. Men know very well that the surest way to block women’s progress is to attack their bodies and character. So they strike again and again at the point where their victory is assured.
By attacking a woman’s body or her moral integrity, they attack her honour and dignity. And a woman is naturally most fearful about her dignity and respect. Very few women have the courage to compromise their self-respect and still move forward. This makes patriarchy’s weapon almost infallible. Women are gradually branded as unfit for politics, lose their acceptability, and eventually step down from the political stage of their own accord. The result is male victory and complete control over the political field.
Down the ages, , women’s political lives have been caught in this cycle of bodily politics. Except for a handful of women, female politicians have rarely been able to shine. Women leaders, from heads of government to grassroots activists, have not escaped this cycle. We have seen the same pattern repeat itself with the young emerging women leaders who stood at the forefront of the recent student movement against discrimination.
The scale of women’s marginalisation in politics seems today to have surpassed everything in the past. Social media has pushed this tendency beyond control. It is being carried out so systematically that, unless checked, the political arena may in the coming days become entirely devoid of women. In a country where women make up 51 per cent of the population, the idea that their fate will be determined solely by men is no longer a far-fetched concern.
Without women’s participation in politics, the impact will be felt across every sector. Women will become increasingly marginalised. Will women then disappear from politics altogether?
* Nishat Sultana is a writer and development activist. She can be contacted at [email protected]