Is a Tk 50 increase enough to support widows amid skyrocketing inflation?

Gender stereotypes still deem men as the real breadwinners of the family in Bangladesh. In the 21st century, women are expected to perform limited roles within their homes, primarily cooking and caring for children. This is more prevalent in marginalised communities across the country.

This obnoxious practice of discrimination against women is an obstacle to the development of our society as a whole. Although literacy rates have increased, women are still subjected to various forms of discrimination.

The same applies to widows in our society who are subjected to some of Bangladesh's most backward discriminatory laws. The Hindu Widow’s Re-marriage Act 1856, for example, is one such detestable piece of legislation which states that if a Hindu widow decides to remarry, she will no longer have a claim over her deceased husband's property.

In such cases, these women have to bear the loss of both emotional and financial baggage after their husband's death. Suddenly, on a moment's whim, the woman has to take responsibility for herself, her children, and her in-laws all together on her shoulder.

The regressive mentality of our society also limits the option for re-marriage for the widows, as most men demand widows leave their children.

Widows who decide to work for themselves and their families are not free from the judgy eyes of society either. Many struggle to find jobs because they are a 'widow' and are treated as social outcasts.

Recently, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed to increase the number of beneficiaries of the government's allowance programme for widows and destitute women by 100,000 to around 2.58 million. He also proposed increasing these women's monthly allowance from Tk 500 to Tk 550.

But is a budget of Tk 550 enough to support these widows in the era of high inflation?

Many widows are eligible for benefits but are not receiving them. Shouldn't there be other programmes to support them? Shouldn't the government create awareness programmes to put an end to the discriminatory behaviour they face?

Reporter's age: 17 | Dhaka