This article focuses on gender inequality when it comes to divorce. Bangladesh's laws on separation and divorce trap women in a horrible lifestyle. This article mentioned that they are trapped either in an abusive, hurtful marriage or when they divorce; their life basically falls apart because they are driven into poverty. While there are suppose to be places these divorced women can go, they end up homeless, hungry and suffering from bad health. Bangladesh ignored how these personal laws can lead these women into poverty. In a report, it is documented how the country's laws impoverish many women. It also states that some women stay in abusive marriages in fear that leaving will lead to destitution. The women are even denied the right to marital property. Based on the three religions in Bangladesh, which are Muslims, Hindus, and Christians, they all have different personal laws none of which benefit the women. Muslims personal law embraces polygamy for men. They don't even enforce the fact that the man has to get consent from the first wife in order to marry the second. In the Hindu law recognizes polygamy for men but not divorce which has trapped women in marriages for over a century. Nina Goswami stated “It is time our lawmakers changed these colonial-era laws and protected Hindu women.” The Christian divorce laws are far more restrictive on women. Men can divorce their wives if they allege she committed adultery but women have to prove that their husband committed it. Gender inequality leads to women’s contributions going unrecognized. Women take care of the homes, bare the children and still get treated as if we are inferior to men. This just proves that inequality exists in all aspects and being that this country bases these rules off of religion it just makes it seem like they use their religion to justify these issues. It never crossed divorce was a big deal until I read about how hard is was for women than for men. It’s like the women are just thrown out as if they didn’t do anything to contribute to the special union of marriage.
Story:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/16/bangladesh-discriminatory-family-laws-fuel-female-poverty
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