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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed regret that a woman has not been appointed to the position of chief justice due to persisting societal challenges.
Nevertheless, she believes Bangladesh has been able to realise women's rights icon Begum Rokeya's dream of social equality.
Hasina made the remarks during the presentation ceremony for the Begum Rokeya Padak at Dhaka's Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, reports bdnews24.com.
"I truly wished for a woman to become the chief justice. However, our society is deeply conservative, and breaking these norms takes time. That's why it hasn't happened yet. This is my lingering regret," she said.
Hasina emphasised that the Awami League government has undertaken measures to empower women and secure their rights across various sectors, including education and public administration.
"Bangladesh has been able to fulfil Begum Rokeya's dream."
In the context of women's empowerment in the judiciary, she said, "In the past, women were not allowed in the judicial service -- that was the law of Pakistan. After independence, our founding father changed all the laws, allowing girls from our country to join the judicial service."
Highlighting her initiative to address the absence of women judges in the High Court, Hasina recounted, "When I came to power, I observed that there were no women judges in our High Court. So, I took the initiative. I spoke to the president, the chief justice, and the law minister, stating that if a woman is not included in the judicial appointments to the High Court, I would not sign off on it or send it to the president for approval. That's where the journey began."
Speaking about the progress of women in various fields, she highlighted their active involvement in politics, the economy, foreign policy, lawmaking, administration, law enforcement, armed forces, border guard, journalism, information technology, art, literature, culture, and sports.
"The women of Bangladesh are now in leading positions in Asia, and that is among our proudest achievements."