Gender equality and sustainable development with a focus on the coastal fishing community of Bangladesh

Sustainable development encompasses achieving economic development while maintaining social solidarity and environmental stewardship. Present studies campaign for the agenda of women empowerment for sustainable development in Bangladesh since women are one of the largest disadvantaged groups in this country. The conditions faced by coastal women are even more deplorable and they represent a substantial proportion of the total number of women in the country. The aim of this research is to determine the indicators of gender inequality in Bangladesh with special emphasis on the coastal fishing communities of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh; and to explore the ways and means of mitigating gender inequality for sustainable development of that area. Data were collected using the semi-structured interviews from the coastal women, NGO members and local government representatives of coastal fishing community of Bangladesh. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) integrated Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is used to analyse the data. The study finds that ensuring education, access to financing and skill development are the most important factors in mitigating gender inequality for sustainable development.