Purdah and Changing Patterns of Social Control among Rural Women in Bangladesh

Gender and agricultural mechanization: A mixed-methods exploration of the impacts of multi-crop reaper-harvester service provision in Bangladesh

“…In rural Bangladesh, the practice of purdah, often translated as female seclusion, excludes women from public spaces and restricts women's interaction with men outside the family, with important implications for women's mobility, economic activity, and well-being (Feldman and McCarthy 2006;Kabeer 1990;Amin 1997;Bose, Ahmad, and Hossain 2009;Mahmud, Shah, and Becker 2012;Ahmed and Sen 2018). Amin (1997) argues for viewing purdah as a broader code of conduct for female morality, with observance granting prestige, and shame and loss of status accompanying violations of the practice.…”

Cultural norms, economic incentives and women’s labour market behaviour: empirical insights from Bangladesh

“…Early explanations for women's absence from the labour market in Bangladesh focused on the structures of patriarchy prevailing in the country (Adnan, 1993;Cain, Khanam, & Nahar, 1979;Feldman & McCarthy, 1983). They pointed out that the practice of patrilineal inheritance -the transmission of descent and property through the male line -left women without productive assets of their own, while purdah norms restricted their mobility in the public domain.…”

Female Activity Space in Rural Bangladesh

“…Empirical studies in rural Bangladesh during the past decade or earlier suggest that women's activity space has been expanding (Abdullah and Zeidenstein 1982, 24;Chen 1983, 70;Feldman and McCarthy 1983;Greeley 1983, 43;Chen 1986, 220;Aziz 1990, 3). According to these studies, women have been seen working in the fields alone or alongside men; participating in weeding, transplanting, and harvesting of crops; carrying harvest from the fields; and tending cattle (Safilios-Rothschild and Mahmud 1989).…”