Bangladesh
Parliament
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Unicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Data on women
Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.
Current representation
Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
350
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
70
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
20.0%
Speaker
- Speaker
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Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury (Female)
Date of birth: 06 Oct 1966 - Additional information
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Elected on 30 Apr. 2013, re-elected on 29 Jan. 2014, on 30 Jan. 2019 and on 30 Jan. 2024.
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standing Committee on Ministry of Women and Children Affairs | Gender equality | Safquta Yasmin | Female | 61 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2024-01)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 75 | 90 | 66 | 4 | 0 | 280 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 23 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 70 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 1 | 15 | 15 | 29 | 98 | 113 | 74 | 5 | 0 | 350 |
| Total <= 45: 31 | Total >= 46: 319 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | |
| 4.6% | 4% | 0.9% | |
| 8.9% | 7% | 2.3% |
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
- Women
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50
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
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No
Notes: Fifty seats are reserved for women; they will be elected by members in accordance with law on the basis of procedure of proportional representation in the Parliament through single transferable vote.
Sources: Constitution, art. 65(3)
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
1973
Notes: 1973: Seats reserved, with election by co-optation.
First woman speaker
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Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
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2013
Women’s suffrage
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Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940.
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1972
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1937
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
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Detail of restrictions
Suffrage: Restrictions detail
View field in the data dictionary -
literacy, income and tax payer
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1972
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
Notes: At the independence of Bangladesh, women's suffrage was confirmed. Prior to independence, the Government of India Act, which was adopted in 1935 granted conditional suffrage to women. According to information provided by Pakistan, women had to be literate, have an income and pay taxes. When Pakistan became an independent dominion in 1947 this right was confirmed and also applied to Bangladesh, then being East Pakistan.Universal suffrage was granted to women in Pakistan in 1956, when Bangladesh was still a part of it.
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1937
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Restricted
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Detail of restrictions
Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
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Women must have an income; pay taxes and be literate in order to stand for election.
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
View field in the data dictionary -
1972
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
View field in the data dictionary -
Universal
Notes: At the independence of Bangladesh, women's suffrage was confirmed. Prior to independence, the Government of India Act, which was adopted in 1935 granted conditional suffrage to women. According to information provided by Pakistan, women had to be literate, have an income and pay taxes. When Pakistan became an independent dominion in 1947 this right was confirmed and also applied to Bangladesh, then being East Pakistan.Universal suffrage was granted to women in Pakistan in 1956, when Bangladesh was still a part of it.
Women's caucus
Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.
There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.