Society & Change

Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

ISSN :1997-1052 (Print), 227-202X (Online)

A Review of Major Administrative

Reforms in Bangladesh:
Gender Focus
Momtaz Jahan*
Abstract
Gender remains a focal issue generally in the wider perspective of the
society and within the development circles in particular. The very basic pre-
condition of the development agenda is connected with the mainstreaming of
women through gender specific policies. It is therefore imperative that
women’s concerns be placed high in the policy agenda of the
government.The issue of development of women, the grossly under privileged
section of population depends largely on the policies and practices of the
government. There is a widespread recognition that administrative reform
has become a core development strategy around the world. Bangladesh has a
long history of administrative reform committees /commissions. The purpose
of this paper is to review the major administrative reform efforts in
Bangladesh in order to understand how and how well women’s development
issues were addressed in the context of policy reforms in the administrative
arena. Accordingly this paper briefly reviews the major administrative
reform efforts in the country and after that it tries to assess the gender
sensitivity of these policy reforms.
Keywords: Administrative Reform, Gender, Women, Development, Policy
Introduction
There is a growing recognition of the critical importance of women‘s
participation in development. Everybody agrees that the development agenda
is bound to fail unless effective steps are taken to eradicate gender disparity
that characterizes the Bangladesh society for centuries. The presence of
gender-gap in society manifests itself in the form of disempowerment of
women as far as their political, social and economic status and roles are
concerned. Violence, injustice and other forms of discrimination against
women are a common phenomenon in Bangladesh due to the patriarchal

*
Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Dhaka
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

socio-economic system, structure and mindset of its people. However,

despite the constraints, women are increasingly getting involved and playing
an important role in the development process.
Mainstreaming women through gender specific policies is an
acknowledged precondition for achieving meaningful development in any
developing country like Bangladesh (CPD, 2001:1).It is therefore, imperative
that women‘s concerns be placed high in the policy agenda of the
government. Yet it is only recently that this issue has been recognized as
such in the context of policy reforms in the administrative arena. In an era of
globalization and the information society, administrative reform (AR) has
become one of the core development strategies around the world (Kim &
Monem, 2008:1). Bangladesh is not an exception.AR has been a major
concern of the Government of Bangladesh (GOB). Almost every government
in Bangladesh has instituted AR Committees/Commissions since its
independence.
This paper attempts to review the major AR efforts in Bangladesh in
order to understand how and how well women‘s development (WID) issues
were addressed in those reform measures. In other words it will try to assess
the gender sensitivity of the policy reforms in the administrative arena. A
review of women‘s development components in the reform reports would
therefore be relevant to determine the extent of commitment of the GOB to
realize gender equality and mainstreaming women in the administrative
process. The study is solely based on secondary documentation.
Conceptual Framework
Before embarking on a discussion, some clarification is necessary about the
concepts-administrative reform, gender mainstreaming, women in
development, gender and development, and gender sensitive and gender
blind policy.
Administrative Reform (AR)
The term AR has acquired widespread usage and recognition in the literature
pertaining to government and public administration. AR is the administrative
reorganization of the state institution that aims at rationalization of the
administrative machinery, which improves the quality and capacity of civil
service (Kalimullah et.al.2013:280). Khan(1980:57) defines AR as ―those
efforts which call for or lead to major changes in the bureaucratic system of a
country intended to transform the existing and established practices,
behaviors and structure within it‖. The essence of AR is change and
improvements. It is meant to encourage an effective administration capable
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Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

of bringing about economic and social development through process of

change in the administrative structure and procedures.
Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD)
WID aims to include women in development projects in order to make them
more efficient. GAD addresses inequalities in women‘s and men‘s social
roles in relation to development.
Gender Mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming is a process or a strategy to work toward the goal of
gender equality. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of
women as well as men an integral part of the design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic
and societal affairs so that women and men benefit equally (ECOSOC, 1997:
2, cited in Khan, 2005:256& Jahan, 2006:43).
It seeks to ensure that institutions, policies and programs respond to the
needs and interests of women as well as men, and distributes benefits
equitably between them. It leads to greater fairness, equity and justice for
women and men and thus contributes to social and economic progress.
Gender Sensitive and Gender Blind Policy
As a tool for helping practitioners and policy makers to determine to what
degree a project or a policy is explicitly working towards transforming
unequal gender relations (social relationships between men as a sex and
women as a sex), Naila Kabeer (1992) classifies policies into the following
types.
Gender-blind policies: This type of policy recognizes no distinction
between the sexes and incorporates biases in favor of existing gender
relations and therefore tends to exclude women.
Gender-aware policies: These recognize that women as well as men are
development actors, and that they are constrained in different, often unequal,
ways as potential participants and beneficiaries in the development process.
They may consequently have differing and sometimes conflicting needs,
interests and priorities. Gender-aware policies or gender-sensitive policies
can be further sub divided into:gender-neutral policies, gender-specific
policies and gender-redistributive policies (March et.al, 1999; 108).
Brief Review of Major AR Efforts in Bangladesh: Gender Points
Since independence, a number of commissions/committees were constituted
by different governments in Bangladesh for AR and reorganization to suit the
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

needs of their respective policy declarations (CPD, 2001:2).More than 20

reports on AR have been prepared by these commissions and committees.
Moreover, several reports were prepared by the development partners
particularly the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Department
for International Development (DFID) and the US Agency for International
Development (USAID). A review of the major reform reports in terms of
their main focus, incorporation of gender issues and women‘s development
implication is summarized below.
Committees and Commissions formed by the Government of Bangladesh
Civil Administration Restoration Committee (CARC), 1972
To face the challenges of a newly independent country, the government
formed CARC in 1971 to examine and suggest ways for organizational set-
up for the government after emergence of Bangladesh. The provincial
secretariat was transformed into the national secretariat with 20 ministries
and related directorates/departments and corporations according to the
recommendations of CARC (Kalimullah et.al, 2013:282).
No gender issue was apparently raised in the report.
The Administrative and Service Reorganization Committee (ASRC), 1972
The ASRC was formed with the mandate to reassess the existing structure of
the civil service and suggest measures to establish a unified civil service
according to the needs of the nation. (Khan, 2013:298). The committee
recommended a single classless unified grading structure containing ten
grades and inculcation of professionalism dividing all posts into specialized
functional posts and generalist area group posts. It also called for
democratization of administration at all levels and elected local governments
in district, thana and unions. However, recommendations of the committee
were not implemented due to resistance from within the civil service (Khan,
1998).
There was no gender point in the report.
Pay and Services Commission (P&SC), 1976
The P & SC was appointed with a broad mandate to examine both the pay
and service structure and recommend suitable ones. The then- government
implemented some of the recommendations of the commission in a modified
form resulting in the creation of 28 cadres of the Bangladesh Civil Service
(BCS), constitution of the Senior Services Pool (SSP) and the introduction of
21 grades and scales of pay ( Kalimullah et al 2013: 282).
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Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

One gender issue can be detected in the recommendation of the

commission. It was mentioned on the report that, ―Regarding sex, there is a
constitutional provision forbidding discrimination on grounds of sex.
However, within the limits of this provision, government has the power to
vary recruitment conditions where considered unavoidable. We believe that it
is fair to recognize that women have special aptitudes for some jobs, while
men aremore suited for others. We suggest the government should examine
the nature of work of the various occupational groups and determine whether
any particular sex is capable of bearing the physical or mental stress and
strain in relation to any of those occupations and fix recruitment conditions
accordingly‖ (cited in Steps Special Feature, 2002:17).
Martial Law Committee to Examine set up of Ministries/Divisions/
Departments/Directorates and other Organizations under them (MLC),
1982
The martial law government of General Ershad appointed this committee to
review the charter of duties of different public sector organizations and to
scrutinize existing and sanctioned manpower for the purpose of
rationalization and efficiency. The committee recommended for reduction in
the number and size of all governmental and semi-governmental bodies. The
recommendations were accepted and implemented.
The committee under the administrative set up of the Ministry of Social
Welfare and Women Affairs allocated the following business to look after
women issues.
a. Matters relating to women‘s status, shariah, and other social and legal
rights.
b. Attending to the problems and affairs of women.
c. Looking after welfare of women including employment opportunities of
women.
d. Motivating women to carry out their responsibilities beyond themselves,
their families and the society at large.
e. Organizing women in a manner that they become effective citizens of the
country participate actively in socio-economic development.
f. Formulating policies on women‘s affairs and taking measures for their
effective implementation.
g. Matters relating to the Bangladesh Jatiyo Mahila Sangstha and all
voluntary organizations exclusively devoted to women‘s welfare.
h. Matters relating to: Women‘s Affairs Development, Bangladesh Shishu
Academy and Bangladesh Women‘s Rehabilitation and Welfare
Foundation.
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

The committee kept the provision of a branch with three sections in the
ministry to look after these businesses (Steps Special Feature, 2002; 18).
Committee for Administrative Reorganization/Reforms (CARR), 1982
The CARR was assigned with the responsibility to review the structure and
organization of field level administration. It recommended for installation of
elected local governments at district, upazila and union levels for the transfer
of development functions to these elected local bodies(CPD, 2001:2).The
government constituted another committee named National Implementation
Committee for Administrative Reform and Reorganization (NICARR) to
suggest ways and means for implementing the recommendations of CARR.
The government implemented most of the recommendations which resulted
in the creation of upazila administration at the local level.
No specific gender issue can be detected in the report. The CARR
casually recommended in its report that village organization based on five
occupational groups namely farmers, women, youths, landless and other
vocational groups be promoted and given all support ( Steps Special Feature,
2002:18).
Committee for Examination of Irregularities in Appointment and
Promotion of Officers and Staff in Government (CEI),1983
The committee was assigned to examine the irregularities made in the
appointment and promotion of officers and staff and suggest ways and means
to streamline recruitment and promotion. The key recommendations were:
framing of new recruitment rules and strengthening of the public service
commission which was partially adopted.
While discussing the recruitment rules, at one stage, the committee
mentioned about the quota for women candidates along with the total
distribution of vacancies.
Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) for the Review of Senior Service Pool,1987
It was formed to recommend policy measures for implementing
recommendations of the Special Committee on the structure of the senior
service pool (SSP) and the Secretariat Committee relating to the problem of
unequal prospects of promotion of officers of different cadre services. The
government adopted the recommendations and abolished the SSP in 1989.
The committee did not consider any gender issue.
Commission for Review of Local Government Structure, 1992
The committee was appointed to review the local government system and
structure and recommended a recommend a representative, participatory and
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Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

accountable local government structure for the country. The key

recommendations were: a two tier system of local government, constitution
of Gram Shava at each village and Thana Development and Coordination
Committee. The recommendations were partially adopted.
The issue of women‘s representation in the local government was
discussed in the report. The commission recommended for inclusion of
directly elected women members\commissioners in gram shavas, union
parishads andpourashavas\city corporations. Women members were also to
be included in the zila parishad but nothing was done about the elected zila
parishad.
Cabinet Committee for Administrative Reform (CCAR), 1993
It was formed to recommend proposals for an effective, transparent and
accountable administrative system that was suitable to the contemporary
needs of Bangladesh(Azizuddin,2008:18).Improving the quality of staff,
efficiency, accountability, reducing inter- cadre conflict, creation of
Efficiency Unit ion Prime Minister‘s office, Efficiency Cells in six important
ministries were among the major recommendations of the committee.
The committee gave much importance to the role of women in public
administration sector and emphasized on better working environment, safe
transportation and day care centers for the convenience of working mothers.
But it did not specify any particular action to be taken in this regard.
Administrative Reorganization Committee (ARC), 1993
ARC was assigned to review the government‘s administrative structure and
staffing patterns in ministries, to ascertain actual personnel needs and to
make proposals for reorganizing the machinery of government (Khan,
1998:113). The key recommendations were: reduction of the number of
ministries and administrative organizations, provincial structure for the office
of the ombudsman and creation of a secretariat for the Supreme Court. The
recommendations were not adopted.
There was no direct reference to the gender issue. But the committee
recommended for creation of anew ministry named as Ministry of Women,
Family Planning and Social Welfare by reorganizing the existing ministries
of Women and Children Affairs, Health and Family Planning and Social
Welfare.
Local Government Reform Commission (LGRC), 1996
LGRC was formed to examine the structure of local government and provide
recommendations for strengthening the local government institutions. The
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

commission recommended for a four tier system of local government and

suggested representative and participatory character of all the tiers.
An important aspect of WID issue was the recommendation of the
commission for reservation of seats inall the tiers of the local government.
Public Administration Reform Commission (PARC),1997
PARC was constituted to advise the government on issues of good
governance. The report of the commission was focused on improving
transparency, efficiency, accountability, effectiveness of public
administration and bringing institutional and procedural changes and
improvement of service delivery toensure value for money at all levels of
administration in the light of New Public Management (UNDP, 2004).PARC
came up with legal, regulatory and procedural changes necessary to
implement reform proposals, including an institutional arrangement for the
implementation of the commission-prescribed recommendations. The
commission suggested some recommendations to ensure higher performance
of administration (Public Administration for 21st Century, June, 2000)
(Kalimullah et.al, 2013:286).
The commission discussed some important gender issues. It mentioned
that in all categories of jobs, women hold fewer positions than what is
available for them through the quota system. Women could be given priority
in career advancement as an interim affirmative measure for a certain period.
The commission also suggested that an enabling environment be created for
women to work in field jobs by providing:
1. Appropriate field accommodation and transport for field visits.
2. Day care centers, health and education facilities for children.
3. Separate toilets for women employees, security arrangements and so on.
4. Access to secure accommodation and if possible, husband and wife should
be posted in same locality (Kalimullah et.al, 2013:287).
Pay Commissions
Seven National Pay Commissions were constituted from time to time to deal
with the matters of pay issues. No gender issues were raised or discussed in
the reports of these commissions. Actually the commissions did not have
scope to discuss gender issues specifically since pay structure is gender
neutral.
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Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

Reports Prepared with the Assistance of Development Partners

Public Administration Efficiency Studies, 1989 -USAID
At the initiation of the Ministry of Establishment and financial support from
USAID this study was made. The main focus of the study was secretariat
system, relationship between ministries, departments and corporations and
project cycle.
No gender issue was raised in the report.
Public Administration Sector Study in Bangladesh, 1993- UNDP
Themain focus of this study was public administration reforms with
emphasis on certain specific areas.
Some important gender issues were discussed in the report. It noted that
although women had been in government service in Bangladesh even before
independence, the percentage did not increase much over the years. The
study found the ratio of women to men in the civil service as approximately
1:10 with the largest number of women in the lower ladder. Amongst the
problems identified were: apprehension of getting posted in remote areas,
absence of day care centers, and lack of separate rest room facilities (UNDP,
1993: Paras 5.114-15.126).
The study recommended for provision of adequate infrastructures for
women officers, including attention to issues of childcare and transportation.
The study team noted that women officers need comfort, facilities and onsite
child care.
Towards Better Government in Bangladesh (Four Secretaries Report),
1993-DFID
A four secretaries team prepared this report which recommended for merit
based public service and improving efficiency, accountability and
transparency.
Regarding gender issues the report stated that out of existing 9.47
millions in the public service in January 1991, only about 74 724 were
women. This was far too low (about 8%) compared with percentage of the
female population. It also recommended for reallocation and improvement of
women‘s quotas in the public service.
Local Government in Bangladesh—An Agenda for Governance, 1996-
UNDP
The purpose of this study was to strengthen local governance in Bangladesh
by improving the ability of the local government system.
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

The Findings of the Study Include Following Women Development

Issues:
Most elected representatives are male. Very few local government
chairpersons are women. Reserved seats allow women to raise voice on
women‘s issues. The system of nominating women members facilitates
representation but limits their ability to be effective in decision making.
Nomination is associated with a second-class status and provides for
representatives without an authentic constituency.
The study recommended for direct election for the reserved seats,
appointment for more women to important committees with at least one
woman for every two men and special training for women members of the
local government (Steps Special Feature, 2002:24).
Government That Works: Reforming the Public Sector, 1996 –WB
This study focused on comprehensive administrative reform of the public
sector .Privatization, reduced levels of government, accountability, personnel
management systems were the key topics covered by the study.
The committee mentioned about the gender imbalance in the public
sector employment and identified that women are not only under-represented
in the civil service they also tend to be concentrated in the bottom of the
hierarchy.
For increasing the number of women in government the report suggests
the Women‘s Affairs Division to prepare a policy paper containing specific
targets for female recruitment, plans for suitable training programs, and
procedures for fast track promotion. In addition, the following
recommendations were made:
 Improving the working conditions for women, including provision of day
care centers, rest rooms, hostel facilities, and transport facilities.
 Introducing as far practicable the policy of posting spouses together in the
same station.
 Establishing a government policy to firmly discourage the harassment of
women and a process to permit redress for grievances in this area.
 Introducing mandatory training programs focusing on such subjects as
gender in management, sexual harassment, and equal opportunities for
women.
 Adopting interim measures, including appointing more women on
contract or as consultants. (WB, 1996:130).
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Vol. VII, No. 3, July-September 2013

Taming Leviathan—Reforming Governance in Bangladesh, 2002- WB

This review analyzed the underlying causes of Bangladesh‘s poor
governance, the consequential weak performance of public institutions and
reasons for the slow response of the government to proposals for public
sector reform.
There was no direct reference to the gender issue. But the report
mentioned that women are pervasively dominated by men with heavily
gendered socialization within an entrenched ideology of patriarchy. This
circumscribes women‘s participation in income earning activities, as well as
in public leadership roles Men have a vested interest in the maintenance of
their dominant position, exploiting female labor in the household. The low
status of women in the rural areas translates into a strong supply of docile
female labor in urban labor market (WB, 2002:14).But it did not recommend
any particular measures to be taken.
Observations and Conclusions
There is a long list of AR committees/commissions in Bangladesh. But it is
observed that WID issues were hardly addressed by those committees/
commissions. Some reports referred to certain important aspects of gender
related issues in their discussions but did not make any specific
recommendations. Women‘s viewpoints were not assessed regarding
particular women relevant issues and WID implications. Furthermore,
women were sidetracked from the membership of those committees/
commissions. Most of them did not have women members. Among the 17
committees/commissions reviewed for this study, there was women
representation only in two (namely PARC, 1996 & LGRC, 1996). It was also
found that there were much more specific and strong recommendations of
WID issues in the reports of these commissions. Therefore it can be said that
future reform committees/commissions should have equal representation of
women for incorporation of WID issues and affirmative recommendations.
However, the committees/commissions formed during nineties were
relatively more concerned about WID issues. The latest three commissions
re-emphasized the positive role of women in the society. This may be due to
government‘s commitment to bring women in the mainstream of
development planning which was reflected in Fourth Five Year Plan and
Fifth Five Year Plan. It can also be said that attention to women issues and
gender sensitive policies can be best practiced in a democratic system of
government. Reform committees/commissions with regard to local
government were more sensitive to gender issues. All of them had specific
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A Review of Major Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh

recommendations for women development/empowerment. But the other

committees/commissions except PARC did not consider any gender issue.
Again no gender issues were found in the different pay commissions reports
as the pay structure is gender neutral. But most of the reports prepared by the
development partners had specific gender focus and recommendations.
Major AR initiatives have not been successful so far in Bangladesh.
Sometimes the reports were marked as secret and never made public. Only a
few reports were considered and fully implemented and that also half-
heartedly. It might be said that the reform measures are in many cases
‗gender insensitive‘ and/or ‗gender blind‘ to take cognizance of the socially
disadvantaged position of women. Many of these measures have not
contributed substantially to women‘s development in any special way. They
did not have any specific action plan to implement the proposed reform as far
as gender concepts are concerned. Reformative policies do not bring about
substantive changes in women‘s position unless they address the strategic
gender needs which determine the power relations between men and women
in the society (Aminuzzaman, 2011: 154). It is an imperative that women are
adequately represented in the future reform committees/commissions so that
incorporation of women‘s critical and strategic needs can be ensured in the
reform measures and women‘s interests in various sectors are taken care of.

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