When I was a little girl in Bangladesh in the 1980s and 90's, I used to see this poster wherever I went with my mom. She was very active in the women’s empowerment movement and the non-profit space.
In the meetings and field visits I accompanied her on, this poster was almost always hanging on the office walls. In my young age, I remember understanding the words literally: wives and women didn’t work in Bangladesh, my motherland.
Of course, as I grew older, and my feminist conscious became louder, the meaning of this poster completely changed for me. I began to see its real symbolism: my wife actually works ALL DAY in the home without pay, respect, help or acknowledgment.
Over the years, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in improving the lives of women and girls. The country’s maternal mortality rate decreased by more than two-thirds since 2000. Between 2003 to 2016, Bangladesh increased the female labor participation rate by 10 percent to 36 percent, thanks to the readymade garments and livestock sectors, according to USAID.
Today, I see this poster as universal because from Bangladesh to Boston, women’s work across the board is undervalued and under appreciated, not to mention underpaid.
Because the truth is, all women work, whether it’s in the formal or informal economy, whether it’s in our home or outside. The question is, do we value that work? Do we respect women's work? Do we recognize female labor contributions to the economy?
If you were to redesign this poster today, what would you change? Or would you keep it just the way it is?