Why Highly Educated Women Face Potential Poverty: A Case Study in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Although highly educated women in Bangladesh expect to achieve gender equality, compared to highly educated men, they experience poverty in disproportionate scales. Various educational and motivational programs have been successfully working in Bangladesh. Subsequently, women have broken out the common social problems like illiteracy, early marriage, etc. For example, Bangladesh has already achieved gender parity in education levels. Many women are getting proper family support, achieve higher education, and gain more respect in family life. However, a huge number of highly educated women are not in positions that would allow them to use their education as a capital to fulfill their basic needs, and subsequently, they are leading a life which is at risk of being poor. Professional identity is not only a source of income but also a way of social interaction and social security. This paper aims to explore women’s potential poverty despite being highly educated. Potential poverty is defined as the risk of being poor.