Exploring contemporary challenges and prospective solutions for women's empowerment: Does women's empowerment impact achieving sustainable development goal five?

Abstract

Existing literature on women's empowerment (aligned with SDG 5) overlooks the diverse experiences and obstacles faced by women from various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This lack of intersectionality within women's empowerment studies hinders our understanding of the unique challenges encountered by marginalized women and limits the effectiveness of policies and interventions aimed at fostering their empowerment. To address this gap, this study delves into the challenges and processes of empowering women in Bangladesh. Qualitative data were gathered through semi‐structured interviews with 12 working women. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that women face numerous challenges, including lack of education, family support, and economic freedom, as well as complicated processes to access government support and adapt to technological changes. Furthermore, the study identified several potential processes for empowering women, including free education, and training, government support, awareness development, technological support, and mentorship. The study concludes with discussions, policy implications, limitations, and future research directions.