Beyond Girls’ Education: Pathways to Women’s Post-Marital Education in Matlab, Bangladesh

Abstract

Globally, expanding women’s educational opportunities is promoted as an effective strategy for their empowerment. While women’s access to education in Bangladesh has increased in recent years, little is known about their participation in educational activities after marriage. Historically, local gender norms expect women to marry at an early age, perform domestic labor, and discontinue educational activities in adulthood. In this study, twenty-four married women and twenty-five married men ages 15–49 were interviewed about women’s experiences with post-marital education in Matlab. Results showed that husbands and wives acted within the bounds of persistent, classic patriarchal norms to seek or inhibit access to education within marriage. Despite increases in women’s primary and secondary school graduation rates in Bangladesh, this study suggests that women still face barriers to access to educational opportunities and understanding these limitations is crucial to advancing women’s pathways to economic and overall empowerment in Bangladesh. HIGHLIGHTS Married women encounter numerous barriers to education in Matlab, Bangladesh. Married couples strategize to negotiate wives’ aspiration to pursue education. Married men view wives’ post-marital education unfavorably as a means to employment. Women self-restrict education, considering lack of social and familial endorsement. Engaging husbands in research and programs to advance women’s education is needed.