Engendering Social Exclusion: Evidence from Slum of Narayangonj City Corporation of Bangladesh

Abstract

Marginalization of certain groups or clans occurs in most societies including developed countries and perhaps it often occurs in under developed countries. Women, especially the slum women are far more excluded than any other groups in the society. It is clearly demonstrated that the number of slum dwellers is increasing day by day with the increased demand for employment opportunity, rapid rural-urban migration and rapid growth of urban population. The current study has expounded the nature of Social exclusion of women in the selected slums of Narayangonj city. Moreover, the study aimed to explore the reasons, causes, dimensions, impacts and pattern of exclusions for different socio-economic groups. This study had a critical outlook in examining the overall social-environment that perpetuated exclusion of women in slum areas. Findings of this study has presented a social exclusion index of three selected slums and a women poverty index in order to critically examine both the exclusion index and poverty index of women extensively. Finally, the study has examined the ineffectiveness/inaction of existing law and rules in protecting the disadvantaged women folk of slums.