JBS Vol 17. Num 2. 2015 - Understanding the Economic Empowerment of Women: A Study of the Handicrafts Sector in the Chars and Surrounding Areas of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made significant advances in the area of pro-poor growth and human capital development. This has been recognized globally and is reflected in our achievement viz-a-viz Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However much work still remains, especially in the area of women’s empowerment. This is critically important in remote areas where the benefits of economic growth have yet to percolate down fully. The present research focuses on the handicraft sector and potential economic empowerment that provides to the women artisans involved in the sector. The study was undertaken in northern char districts and other adjacent areas of Bangladesh. The paper uses logit model to estimate the impact of earning from handicraft on empowerment after controlling for other exogenous variables such as marital status, education and experience. The key finding of the paper is that there seems to be a statistically significant relationship between independent income earned through handicraft work and the economic empowerment of women.