Women, English and Empowerment: Voices from Rural Bangladesh

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24903/sj.v2i2.116

Keywords:

English language, Women, Rural, development and empowerment

Abstract

English has been an integral part of Bangladesh education system since her independence in 1971. The process of globalization has transformed the lives of million in the developing world like Bangladesh.  The rise of globalization has also meant a growing awareness of the use of English and its possible impact on the lives of people. However, there has not been adequate research conducted which could find a direct link between English and empowerment. The role of English and its impact on the socio-economic growth of individuals didn’t get much attention. Moreover, there has been inadequate attention to understanding of the relationship between English and its role on women’s empowerment in rural community. With this background this study is an attempt to contribute to our understanding of the socio-economic orientation of women by analyzing the impact of English in Bangladesh through a qualitative approach. It provides a useful understanding of the need for English language in specific areas of work. Based on such needs, it will attempt to provide insights for the planning of sustainable intervention strategies for the development of English language skills for women in Bangladesh.

Author Biography

Sayeedur Rahman, University of Dhaka

Mr. Rahman is a Professor in English Language at the Institute of Modern Langauges, Univeristy of Dhaka. He received his PhD in ELT from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He was awarded UK Researchers’ Link fellowship by the British Council, UK to conduct collaborative research with the Open University, UK as Visiting Scholar. He has worked in several research projects as consultant for Unicef, UNDP, British Council and English in Action, DfID. His research interest includes socio-psychological study of EFL, sociolinguistics, individual differences in language learning and EAP/ESP.

References

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2011). Population Census 2011. Available at http://www.bbs.gov.bd/PageWebMenuContent.aspx?MenuKey=243

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2011).Report of the Labour Force Survey Bangladesh, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Banglapedia (2012). DhamraiUpazila. Available at http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/D_0221. htm

Erling, E., Seargeant, P., Solly, M., Chowdhury, Q. and Rahman, S. (2013). Attitudes to English as a language for international development in rural Bangladesh. In Susan Shehaan(eds.), British

Council ELT research papers, volume 1 (pp 183-212). UK: British Council.

Project English. (2009). British Council. Available online at www.britishcouncil.org/india-connecting-project-english.htm

Sue Webb. (2006). Can ICT Reduce Social Exclusion? The Case of an Adults' English Language LearningProgramme.British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jun., 2006), pp. 481-507Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of BERAStable downloaded from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30032679 .Accessed: 14/02/2014 01:53

Web, Sue. 2006. Can ICT Reduce Social Exclusion? The Case of an Adults' English Language Learning Programme. British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3 pp. 481-507.

World Population Statistics (2013). Dhaka Population. Available at http://www.worldpopulationstatistics.com/dhaka-population

Downloads

Published

2017-10-08

Issue

Section

Articles