DHAKA, June 8, 2026 (BSS) – Bangladesh is certainly making its mark in many fields, but the country has a long way to go when it comes to women empowerment.
 
Poor women from rural areas are increasingly coming to the capital Dhaka in search of livelihoods, with many now earning modest incomes by selling vegetables and other products in the city’s markets to support their respect families.
 
One such woman is 35-year-old Jobeda Begum from Sherpur, who now sells sweet potatoes at Karwan Bazar, the country’s largest wholesale kitchen market.
 
As customers bargain over prices, Jobeda sells potatoes for as little as Taka 40 and manages to earn around Taka 300 to 400 a day.
 
Like Jobeda, more than a hundred women at Karwan Bazar sell vegetables and various products to support their families.
 
One evening, this correspondent talked to  Jobeda and several other women traders while customers were leaving the market. Most of them were sitting in the open area between the Kacha Bazar and the Karwan Bazar supermarket. Others were scattered across different parts of the market without any permanent place to sit, occupying whatever space they could find.
 
Jobeda said she has been selling various products at Karwan Bazar for many years. Before marriage, she used to support her parents’ family, while after marriage she began contributing to her husband’s family.
 
She said supporting a family of five has become difficult and she has not been able to return home because of the need to continue earning.
 
Jobeda Begum and her family live in a slum beside the railway line near Karwan Bazar. Every day, she purchases products from large wholesalers and subsequently resells them to customers.
 
Through this work, she sends money home to support her children’s education. Her eldest daughter is studying with the money she sends, while her two younger sons are also attending school.
 
Jobeda said she once became a member of a local savings association using the money she had accumulated over time. She had deposited Taka 35,000 there, but one day the cashier and others allegedly fled with all the savings.
 
Rehana Begum from Barishal shared a similar story. The approximately 40-year-old woman now sells vegetables such as gourds and sweet pumpkins at Karwan Bazar.
 
She said river erosion destroyed everything they owned, forcing the family to move to Dhaka. She has two sons and a daughter. Her husband works at a fish shop in Karwan Bazar, while the family lives in Gabtala Gali in Moghbazar.
 
Rehana Begum said her earnings from selling gourds and pumpkins are comparatively good. She earns around Taka 700 to 800 a day and nearly Taka 20,000 a month.
 
Her two younger sons and daughter are studying at a primary school in Moghbazar, she added.
 
About 50-year-old Rekha Akhter from Lalmonirhat was also seen selling tomatoes, chillies and onions. Her husband has passed away.
 
She said survival requires constant struggle.
 
Rekha Akhter said her husband died ten years ago. She has two sons and a daughter. Her elder son is married and lives separately, while she now lives with her daughter.
 
She came to Dhaka when she was ten years old and has never permanently returned home since then. Although she sometimes intended to leave Dhaka permanently, she could not do that, she added.
 
Women leader Seema Moslem said most of these women lead difficult and struggling lives.
 
Despite the hardship, she said, the fact that they are earning their own livelihoods and supporting their families is a highly positive development.
 
As a result, poverty among these families is being reduced to some extent, while their labour is also contributing to the national economy, she added.
 
Seema Moslem said the government should pay greater attention to these women and ensure food, shelter, security and business support for them.