IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 20, Issue 10, Ver. VI (Oct. 2015) PP 30-37 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-201063037 www.iosrjournals.org 30 | Page Social Disability of Women Empowerment in True Sense through Union Parishad in Bangladesh Fakhrul Islam 1 & Md. OhidurZaman 2 1 Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Shahjajal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. 2 Lecturer, Department of Sociology, Bangladesh University,Dhaka, Bangladesh. Abstract: Government of Bangladesh took several policies to empower women in true sense but still unable to ensure the rights of women in every aspects of their life. Not only rights of general women are negligible but also rights of women government officers and ri ghts of women people’s representatives are insignificant in some aspect of their working area. This research work focuses on present scenario of empowerment of women people’s representative of local government in the context of Union Parishad of Bangladesh . Moreover, this study tries to find out what should be actual initiatives to empower women members of Union Parishad. For this study five Union Parishad areas of BishwemberpurUphazila in Sunamgonj district have been selected purposively. Primary data have been collected from the reserved women members of these Union Parishads. And empirical data show that women member of Union Parishad are not really empower yet. They face problems both in their working place and house to perform their duties and meal members of Union Parishad are still not interested to provide them their full rights and power. These deprive women need friendly working environment and more effective government policies to achieve their true rights and power as a member of Union Parishad. Key Words: Local Government, Women Empowerment, Social Disability, Government Policy. I. Introduction Historically women’s participation in voting was established long ago but women’s participation in the political and national movement has been negligible. Women constitute about 49 percent of the total population in Bangladesh 1 . But their participation in the political process in Bangladesh is extremely limited. Despite various efforts the role of women in political affair has not yet been improved. This is happen due to the rise of gender inequality in the political process 2 . Although both the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition in Parliament of Bangladesh are women, their high positions in politics do not reflect the whole scenario of women’s position in politics of this country. Despite various efforts the role of women in political affair has not yet improved. This is happening due to the rise of gender inequality in the political process and the social disability in a sense, the way society is organized, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference. It is possible to solve by taking proper strategy to empower women from bottom to apex level when barriers are removed, disabled people can be independent and equal in society and politics, with choice and control over their own way. Union Parishad (UP) as a rural local government unit in this context has been playing major role to empower women. It enhances the potential of women in socio-political context 3 . The Union Parishad is such a political platform which gives amply opportunity and necessary space to women to participate in social, economic, and political activities at the grassroots level, even at the remote corner of the country 4 .The empowerment of women is to develop women’s potentiality to control their own life, position and environment to greater extent 5 . The role of women in decision-making is one of the most important questions for consideration in the movement for their empowerment 6 . Women did not have the rights to vote in election to rural bodies till 1956 and there was provision for nominated women members in local government bodies. The Local Government Bill 1997 has set a landmark in the history of political empowerment for rural women in Bangladesh. This bill has procession for direct election in the three reserved sets for women in the union council. It was the greatest step towards the empowerment of women in Bangladesh. Direct election of women is likely to establish link between women and community. Elected directly by the voters, the women representatives will be in a better position to actively participate in the decision making process. The social problem is that politics is male dominant and androcentric where is usually slim possibility for the integration and refl ection of women’s perceptions and needs in state politics that are determined, directed and controlled by men. As women are not adequately represented in political decision- making, issues of public policy relating to women’s equality and empowerment remain under the competence of men 7 . In order to empower women in true sense political awareness, consciousness, participation and motivation