Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2228584 Role of Women in Bangladesh Economy: Do Women in Bangladesh Play a Part in Making Its Economy Stronger? Faraha Nawaz Abstract The purpose of writing this paper is to examine whether Bangladeshi women make contribution to its economy. This paper explains that there are social and cultural challenges that restrain Bangladeshi women work freely in various sectors. This paper also analyses how women contribute to make micro credit program a success through their involvement in labor market in Bangladesh. This paper depicts some case studies that show that women through innovative works contribute to country’s economy. This paper exemplifies some specific measures that Bangladesh should undertake to get greater involvement of women in various sectors in Bangladesh to further accelerate its economy. 1. Introduction: In Bangladesh women constitute about half of the population, but traditionally, majority of them are disadvantaged, underprivileged, illiterate and poor. Bangladeshi women face two fold realities in their lifetime: one determined by a culture and tradition that tends to keep them inside family homesteads and the other is fashioned by increasing poverty that forces them outside into wage employment like building construction labor work or road construction for economic survival. For social and cultural constraints it has been a great challenge for Bangladeshi women to represent them in various sectors of economy of Bangladesh. This study focuses that since the last decade the traditional views of women have been changed quite remarkably and women contribute to a larger extent to Bangladesh economy. It is conceivable that the share of rural women in total employed population also rose from 9 percent to 13 percent since the late 1980s (Mizan 1994). Clearly it indicates that rural women have been involving themselves in market based economic activities like garments sector at a pace that is growing much faster than that of men. Various non governmental organizations like Bangladesh Rural Advance Committee (BRAC), CARE are now working in Bangladesh focusing on the empowerment on women. There is no doubt that traditionally Bangladeshi women are underprivileged, but in recent decade women in Bangladesh enjoy higher status through their involvement in various sectors like non-government organization and industry sector. It is also conceivable that the women still face some oppression that keeps them inside family homesteads. Moreover this paper recommends some specific measures that Bangladesh should undertake to wipe out the social and cultural constraints to get a far better involvement of its women to accelerate their contribution to its economy. 2. Bangladeshi women: An overview Most of the Bangladeshi women live in the rural areas, even though women now are widely migrated to urban areas for