As long as the problems addressed in Sultana’s Dream continue to exist and be relevant, we must uphold Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s work, values, and ideologies

As an academic, I often share with students my writings that are related to the courses I teach. That was not the case with our educators when I was a student in the Department of English at Dhaka University. The reason was not because there were no writers among our teachers.

There are leaders and then there are icons who serve as inspiration. The following list contains just some of the names that motivate us to achieve our very best. These women serve as ideal role models for the future generation, irrespective of gender differences.

For International Women’s Day this year, we will be celebrating the hashtag #breakthebias. And at Star Lifestyle, we celebrate the same ideology by speaking to a few teenage ladies to understand their point of view regarding womanhood.

Namira Huq Badhon, previously known for her incredible success as a dress and jewellery designer, talks about her aspirations of working with transgenders ever since she was a child herself.

Entrepreneurial stories about women shining and making it big has become quite the norm these days. With Farnaz Alam, we have a comparable story of excellence where the creative makeup artist leaves a prominent mark in the much-coveted global beauty industry. Today, as DMD of Woman’s World Ltd, CEO of WW Cosmetics, and founder of Kona by Farnaz Alam, she wears quite a few hats. Nevertheless, these responsibilities only encourage her to achieve more and gain myriad prestigious titles to her name.

She is unable to do anything with her hands since her birth. But it could never stop Arifa Akhter from pursuing her dreams. Defying all predicaments, the indomitable Lalmonirhat girl sits for her Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations. She became the subject of curiosity as she started writing with her legs.

World Bank chief hails empowerment of women in Bangladesh, recognising the country as a model in women’s progress in the world. Women participation in the country's workforce has the potential of adding 1.8% to GDP over the next decade, he says.

What do we hope to achieve in terms of "women's empowerment" when an overwhelming number of women remain vulnerable to domestic violence?