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Capital, Gender and Poverty (RCGP) model to generate final estimates.

She said the framework exposes a structural imbalance. Large infrastructure-heavy ministries dominate total spending but rarely include genuine gender-focused projects, suppressing the overall gender-intensity figure while leaving women-specific ministries under-resourced.

“If the ministry responsible for women’s empowerment lacks development funding, meaningful progress becomes difficult,” she said.

Prof Bidisha argued that reform requires a dual approach: increasing allocations to women-focused ministries while systematically integrating gender components into major infrastructure and development projects cleared by the Ecnec.

She cited practical measures such as separate sanitation facilities and menstrual hygiene provisions in schools, safe transport for female students, and gender-responsive infrastructure design.

“The effectiveness of a gender budget should not be judged by its size alone but by whether it advances substantive equality in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5,” she added.

The budget introduces several social protection measures aimed at easing cost pressures and supporting women’s participation in the economy.

Central to this is the Family Card programme, allocated Tk 14,500 crore, under which 4.1 million female-headed households will receive monthly cash assistance of up to Tk 2,500.

In addition, 1.895 million mothers and children will receive monthly support of Tk 850 under the Mother and Child Assistance Programme.

“Allowances may provide immediate support, but they do not guarantee sustained economic independence. Policy needs to move from welfare provision towards a rights-based framework,” said Shahnaz Shumi, director of Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha.

Prof Bidisha, however, said, “When women control accounts or receive transfers directly, it changes household dynamics.”

EMPLOYMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND ACCESS GAPS

The tax-free income threshold for women has been raised to Tk 4,25,000, compared with Tk 3,75,000 for general taxpayers. The turnover ceiling for tax exemption for women entrepreneurs and persons with disabilities has also been increased from Tk 50 lakh to Tk 70 lakh.

However, Prof Bidisha said rural women entrepreneurs continue to face a significant information gap despite the availability of SME incentives.

“Many women simply do not know where to begin or how to navigate institutional banking systems,” she said, calling for dedicated investment desks at union digital centres, preferably staffed by women, to improve accessibility and trust.

To support women’s participation in the workforce, the budget proposes 20 modern daycare centres in the first phase, with 60 more planned, alongside a proposed female-operated Pink Bus Service for safer transport.

Prof Bidisha welcomed the initiatives but said childcare and safety remain the two biggest barriers preventing women from entering or remaining in the labour force. She warned that isolated government facilities are unlikely to be sufficient or cost-effective.

Instead, she urged large-scale public–private partnerships with organisations to develop community-based, monitored childcare models, initially piloted in major urban centres including Dhaka and Chattogram.

The budget also includes a nationwide recruitment drive for 1,00,000 health workers, with 80 percent of posts reserved for women, a move expected to significantly expand formal employment opportunities.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Fauzia Moslem called for stronger inter-ministerial coordination and independent monitoring to ensure effective implementation of gender allocations.

She warned that efforts to address child marriage and gender-based violence often fail due to weak coordination, legal gaps, and limited accountability.

“It remains to be seen to what extent this gender budget will actually reduce the gender gap. Experts outside ministries should also be involved in tracking outcomes more effectively,” she said.