There were four governments under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation. Gender took different dimensions but did not undergo significant changes during the period. For example, the need for gender equality in politics was first felt in his regime. However, he was not able to make Bangladeshi politics completely free from androcentric practices. The political challenges Bangabandhu faced were huge and must be taken into consideration in the assessment of gender dimensions of his regime.
The first government of Bangladesh was formed as a government-in-exile on 17th of April 1971. Bangabandhu, who was detained in Pakistan at that time, was made the President of Bangladesh. On behalf of the President, some Awami League leaders were actually running the government during that period. The mission of the government was to facilitate the liberation war and secure international cooperation for Bangladesh. It was successful in its mission as within a few months, many people joined the Mukti Bahini (liberation force). Naturally, this government had no scope to particularly think about women. Still, many women joined the Mukti Bahini as freedom fighters, many others facilitated the war through various means. Hence, this government is marked with a vibrant and large scale of women’s movement which happened for the first time in the history of Bangladesh.
Read more here:
https://www.thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/gender-bangabandhus-regime-1790929
