Impact of changing bridal selection criteria on women's empowerment in Bangladesh

Abstract

A woman I girl is usually it burden for it family in our country.Generally no mother or father feels happy if they give birth of a baby girl.Then and then they start to do worry for the baby if it is not have fair skin colour. Parents start thinking of its marriage.This is the scenario of it girl.An infant also has to suffer for her beauty. A girl's journey starts just after her birth.In it teenage a girl can understand her parent's tension for her marriage.She starts to suffer in inferiority complex or superiority complex for her complexion etc. Both are harmful.Its like a poison for it girl's mind that she thinks herself outcast only for her physical beauty.On the contrary she starts losing her psychological beauty.If it woman is only preparing herself for being it perfect bride according to the demands of in-laws.she cannot he empowered.Women's empowerment depends on their education.thoughts,economical independence etc. In this study news paper advertisement of a long periodof almost thirty years is covered to see the changes in groom's side to select a mate.It is found that there is it close relation between women empowerment and bridal selection criteria. Recently males demand for educated and job holder w-wives, so a girl's parents feel comfortable to make their daughter qualified. Earlier many husbands didn't like educated wives because they thought that educated wife would not listen to her husband it would be tough to control them.But today most of the males want educated wives because they think education and good job will be an added quality for their wives.which will enhance their family.Now husbands can think their wives as friend, equal partner, equal shareholder-so it's better to have an educated wife who can share everything. '['his kind of tendency leads us to such an environment where male-female will have equal status and honour. If it woman and her family can think her more than a marriage material and can treat her equally with it male person, then it woman will be truly able to be empowered with her all weapons like education, job, decision making ability etc. Marriage does not mean only to marry it woman of beauty; it should be defined as a marriage of it woman with wit, humour, intellect etc. Through this study I will try to show the various demands of males from different decades. When it modern man can choose his bride according to her other qualities except beauty, then a woman will get chance to show her own made qualities. Because beauty is God gifted. Here a woman has no hand on it.