Bangladesh quota reform cuts women's share of public sector jobs

Women are securing a shrinking share of Bangladesh's public sector jobs after quota reform, with women falling to 19 percent of recruits to top civil service posts in the latest exam round.

The change follows the 2024 student-led uprising, which demanded merit-based hiring and largely scrapped quotas in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people.

Why are fewer women getting government jobs in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh largely scrapped quotas after the 2024 uprising, and only seven percent of Class I posts are reserved, for freedom fighters' relatives and smaller groups. No quota remains for women. Women's share of recruits has dropped from up to 35 percent before 2018 to 19 percent, according to figures from the last exam round.

The uprising was fueled by a demand that coveted government jobs be awarded on merit, not through quotas. The movement succeeded and the government was overthrown, but the reform has had unintended consequences. Data shows the share of female government recruits has fallen since quotas were cut, shrinking an already limited number of civil service roles held by women.

Tothapi Azad, a 25-year-old Dhaka University graduate, supported calls to end quotas but says she should have supported retaining them for women. "For me, who had my family's support, a quota might not have been essential, but for an average woman, it was essential," she told AFP. "A job is a tool for women's empowerment. For rural women, it is more than that: a survival tactic, a shield to resist domestic violence."

How did the quota system work before 2018?

Until 2018, quotas accounted for 56 percent of Class I posts, the top ranking civil service and public sector jobs. That included 10 percent for women, as well as 30 percent for descendants of those who fought for Bangladesh's independence in 1971. Another 16 percent was reserved for underprivileged regions and people with disabilities.

In 2018, after student protests, the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina scrapped quotas. In 2024, a proposal to reinstate quotas sparked student protests, which escalated into a mass uprising, and Hasina was overthrown. Today, 93 percent of posts are filled on merit, seven percent go to those related to freedom fighters and other smaller groups, and there is no quota for women.

The Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC), which runs the recruitment examinations, has around 300,000 applicants each year for 2,500 to 3,000 Class I jobs. Before the quota was scrapped in 2018, women accounted for up to 35 percent of recruits, including both quota and merit-based appointments. That has dropped to 19 percent.

What do officials say about Bangladesh quota reform and women's recruitment?

A BPSC official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the body "finds the outcome uncomfortable", but that its "duty is limited to conducting the examination". The government elected in February also backs merit-based recruitment. Md Abdul Bari, a public administration minister, described it as a "rational reform" in parliament.

AKM Abdul Awal Majumdar, a former bureaucrat, backs merit-based recruitment but advocates coaching to help women compete. "My female colleagues were unparalleled," he said. Some officials fear the decline in female recruitment will become increasingly visible.

"At this moment, at least 21 women are leading 21 districts," said a female bureaucrat with 20 years of experience, speaking on condition of anonymity. "In 10 years' time, there won't be this many women in the service."

How many women are joining the police and teaching in Bangladesh?

The impact goes beyond the civil service. Police data shows that only 267 women out of 2,651 candidates qualified as constables this year. Only six of the 184 candidates who qualified as police sub-inspectors were women, and no women qualified as sergeants, compared with 96 men.

"We can't continue without them," a police officer told AFP, noting that every station has dedicated desks for women and children. Bangladesh previously had 60 percent quotas for women in primary teaching positions, which have also ended.

Asif Shahan, a Dhaka University professor of Development Studies, said fewer women in government would impact policymaking. "Their issues get reflected in policy," he told AFP.

How are Bangladeshi students divided over women's quotas?

The debate has split students. Md Mazharul Islam, a Dhaka University students' union career advisor and a supporter of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, backs a merit system. "Society was much more conservative before, and girls were not allowed to pursue higher education," he said. "That has changed."

Philosophy student Adity Islam said abolishing the women's quota was wrong. "We measured women across all walks of life with the yardstick of female students at Dhaka University," said Islam, who is involved in leftist politics.

"Cutting the quota for women would eventually impact the overall governance system. We have already seen that in some districts. So aspiring candidates in many other places will lose hope."