***The perpetuation of poverty through sex dtsertm tnation ts itself a problem tn Bangladesh. The conventional economic policy tn Bangladesh often di rectly plays a role to Increase the poverty within subsistence economy which tn turn adds to the rel attve burden on women, specially of the landless Farmer community. Some time the agricultural de velopment tn some areas of Bangladesh also affects the landless Farmers community by denying the labour of both male and female on land.***

CONVENTIONAL approa ches to development not only fail to accomplish the goal, but by ignoring the obstacles faced by women, they actually formalize and reinforce sex bias In several devastating ways. This is more true so far as the landless peasants are concerned.

First, current development strategies do not benefit men and women equally in Bangladesh. Although women are the main producers and procurers of household food supplies tn the subsistence economk-s of Bangladesh, as In many other third world coun tries, conventional agricultural development has actually shifted resources away from female farmers

Sex bias also prevents the women partners to take active role and decisive measure tn birth control as they are being used Instrumental by the males for their own sexual satisfaction. This is one of the main reasons for which birth control programme tn Bangladesh ts failing to make a satisfactory headway. Since the males are the decisive factors, the women play a passive role. Unless women are correctly motivated, the birth control programme In Bangladesh will not succeed. Gender bias Is thus single most important cause of rapid population growth.Where women have little access to productive resources, and little control over family Income, they depend, as mentioned earlier, on children for social status and economic security. A necessary step tn reducing births voluntarily, then, is to Increase women's productivity and thetr control over resources, in addition to the motivation they needed.

Second, women rarely are involved designing or carrying out development programmes. Consequently these do not address their real needs or utilize the great fund of practical knowledge they have to offer. For example, in rural Bangladesh, as in some countries of Africa, 60 to 80 per cetot of all domestic fuel supplies are either made al home from cowdung and are gathered from forests or nearby places by women and girls. YeL countless programmes to reverse deforestation have failed because their planner did not think to consult village women who are the primary managers and harvesters of forest product in their

communities.

Third, the perpetuation of poverty through sex discrimination Is Itself a problem In Bangladesh. The conventional economic policy In Bangladesh often directly plays a role to Increase the poverty within sub slstence economy which in turn adds to the relative burden on women, specially of the landless farmer community Some time

the agricultural development In some areas of Bangladesh also affects the landless farmers -community by denying the labour of both male and female on land. In some areas the replacement .of human labour by tractors Increased competition for and lowered the wages of the much smaller number of jobs available to landless farmers. In such areas the women of the landless community are forced to work longer for less remuneration The ultimate effect of such condition favours the stimulation of the growth of population Indirectly by forcing greater competition for fewer resources among the growing numbers of landless farmers through an encouragement for most children in order to strengthen manpower and earn more by employing them at

The eroding status of tow-in-come women In developing countries Is a baseline Indicator of human progress: Ignorance of this Issue ts not only morally untenable, ft Is In the long run self-defeating. Until gender bias Is confronted, there can be no sustainable development. Bangladesh provides one of the best examples of such vicious circles Since the wxla! struc-

ture tn Bangladesh is basically traditional, sex discrimination Is a fundamental characteristic of this society.The women are considered as not only the weaker part, but also are denied the equal rights and privileges as enjoyed by the men. Equality is a (ar to-dream-of fact In this society. But it is also true that through some economic hardship. this society Is gradually trying to understand the harsh truth that necessity knows no law As for example, the male could not even think of that their women would ever go out for work tn order to earn for their livelihood and share the economic responsibility of the family when they had enough land and money to depend on. But when they turned landless through an inevitable economic process, they could realize the reality and they allowed thetr

wives and daughters to go out either to work c>n land or to a house as maid servants.

Apathy grows from the feel Ing of frustration caused by an Inability to do something post live to prevent rot from seeping in and trickling down to enter all the various strata of life where traditional standard* of ethics and morality are partly or totally destroyed. Those culminate as they must. In a nation where the role of men and women Is not helpful to each st her We must keep it In mind that Bangladesh Is primarily and mainly dependent on agri culture. The society is almost agro based Industrial produc Hon In Bangladesh may be considered to be at ■ nascent stage The process of industrialization In this country remains not only slow but also disappointing. Despite the high demand for expansion of job opportunities In a labour surplus economy, one would like to have more units to come up and more products made tn the In dust rial sector for Increasing the share of Industry In the Grose Domestic Product (GDP) It cannot be so, largely because of the paucity of Investable ser vice In the agrarian society Even the inflow of capital remains slower than the rate at which one would expect It to be forthcoming Above all. the tot al sponsors of Industries have yet to develop the culture that would enable them to obtain U censing or joint-venture agree ments with foreign collaborators and multi-lateral agencies We receive a gloomy picture when we find that 55 per cent of the farmer community Is landless and the agricultural lands In Bangladesh are almost unable to bear the burden of this excess labour-force. Henee rapid Industrial development Is the only answer for the solution of this national problem. The landless farmer must be provided with job opportunities, both for male and women in the Industrial sector In order to save them from ruination. Along with these steps, the gender bias has to be shunned and the ways and means must be found out for the equal opportunities for the women of the whole country, specially of the landless farmers.

The writer, a Bangladeshi-American is Educational Advisor of the Head Start, State Department of Health and Human Services, USA.