Women relocating to Dhaka for education and employment continue to face severe housing insecurity, overcrowding, restrictive hostel rules, and high living costs, according to accounts from students, workers, and researchers. Many women report being forced into poorly regulated private hostels and sublet arrangements due to the shortage of safe and affordable accommodation in the city.
Students and working women described experiences of surveillance, curfews, overcrowded rooms, poor food quality, and threats of eviction. One college student reported being locked out of her hostel late at night after returning from an educational tour, while others described living in partitioned kitchen spaces or cramped rooms shared by multiple residents. Several women stated that the absence of university housing and limited safe rental options leave them dependent on private hostels operating with little oversight.
Researchers and gender studies scholars noted that increasing numbers of women from outside Dhaka are moving to the capital for higher education and employment, while housing infrastructure has not expanded proportionately. There are currently only four government-run hostels for working women in Dhaka, collectively accommodating just over one thousand residents, despite millions of women working in urban areas.
Women seeking government hostel accommodation described long waiting lists and allegations that securing seats often requires influence or institutional connections. Existing facilities also impose restrictions, including eligibility requirements based on marital status and education level, while lacking provisions for residents with children.
Experts emphasized that housing access remains a major structural issue affecting women’s mobility, employment, and education in urban Bangladesh. They called for expanded public housing initiatives, stronger regulation of private hostels, and greater involvement from both state institutions and the private sector in developing affordable accommodation for women.
Source: Bangladesh Songbad Songstha