Female labourers in Kaharol Upazila of Dinajpur are facing discrimination, with a significant wage gap compared to their male counterparts. Despite working as hard as the male labourers, they are not receiving fair wages.
On the other hand, male labourers are being paid more than the female labourer, even though the wage the receive is not fair for them either. Thousands of male and female labourers work across the upazila. However, compared to their male counterparts, female workers are subjected to wage discrimination and deprivation.
It was learnt that for the same amount of work, a female labourer receives Tk 300 taka, while a male labourer earns Tk 500 taka. This wage gap has sparked resentment among female labourers. They have raised questions about why they are subjected to such inequality. Women like Usha Rani Roy and Lakshmi Rani Roy from Hatiari village in Targaon union expressed their frustration and spoke about their struggles with unfair wages. Most female agricultural labourers, like Usha Rani and Lakshmi Rani, silently endure the hardship of not receiving fair compensation.
Even though there is a high demand for female labourers in the fields, they are not paid just wages. Every day, hundreds of women work across various fields on a wage basis. While male labourers earn Tk 500 for a full day's work, female labourers are paid only Tk 300 to Tk 350. The female labourers in different unions of the upazila spoke about this disparity and shared their grievances. They emphasized that despite working harder than male laborers, they are underpaid and subjected to discrimination.
However, they continue to work regularly due to the necessity of survival and the pressures of maintaining their households. In Sadhu Bazar, a locality under Rasulpur union, agricultural labourers like Rani Roy and Hemanti Bala pointed out that male labourers earn around Tk 500 per day, as well as get meal from the employer’s house. In contrast, female labourers perform the same tasks, do not get any meal, yet earn only half of what men make.
This meager income makes it extremely difficult for them to manage their households and support their children. With the skyrocketing prices of essential goods, running a family on such low wages has become increasingly challenging.
Regarding the wage disparity, Kaharole Upazila Women’s Affairs Officer Afsana Mostary said, we have been advocating for women’s rights in various meetings and gatherings. If people from all walks of life unite and work together, women will no longer face discrimination. They will receive fair wages.
