Introduction
These people are known to be the ethnic community of Bengal, which is currently divided between two nations; India and Bangladesh in South Asia. Their native language is Bengali. The largest percentage of these people is bangles. In matters regarding religion, most Bengal people are Muslim, which bears the highest percentage of followers followed by Hinduism with a much lower percentage. Despite the two religions mentioned above, there are other religions like Christianity and Buddhism that are associated with other minor tribes. Bangladesh is the country with the biggest number of Muslims in the whole world and also among the highly densely populated regions of the world. In addition, it is also known to be poor. In this country, certain things are practiced; for example, cultural practices, religion, and the roles of different categories of people in the society.
How women behave in the Bangla culture or Bangladeshi culture
Since Bangladesh has a dense population, space is minimal and this would encourage crowding of people in residential areas and other places of interest such as urban areas. In that case, most public spaces are not secure and women rarely go to these places alone. They should be accompanied by men from society. According to their culture, Bangladeshi women are supposed to wear Saris. These are clothes which are made from the most expensive and the famous materials that are given by one woman of the village. Additionally, they should have their hair in a Beni style. Beni is a style whereby the hair is twisted into a bun. During the traditional wedding of women, which they call Purdue, women usually wear a bridal veil or a lengthy cloth, as a symbol of respect. They should also occupy or live in secret places where only male servants or relatives are entering. Women are not supposed to contact other men who are from another family except their relating family.
The role of men and women in their community
Men and women of course have different roles which they are supposed to play in their community. To start with, as it is observed in the 1980s health, economic and education results of women in Bangladesh, women in practice and culture used to be under the control of men in whatever they do. Most of them lived according to their traditional and cultural roles. In this way, they would hardly have access to places like, markets, education, healthcare, and productive services, which could have kept them busy and lowered the fertility rate. The majority of the women lived in rural areas whereby about 70 percent of them worked as small farmers, households, and tenants. A good number of women would also work as part-time laborers. Also, it was their responsibility to do post-harvesting, livestock keeping, work on small gardens, and poultry keeping. On the other hand, women in the urban centers or the more educated had an opportunity to work in health centers, government, and schools. In general, women must cook, clean, do laundry and take care of the children; sick, and elderly in the community (Lindenbaum, 1981).
In Bangladesh, men must introduce wives to family planning. According to Muslim culture, women, especially those who live in the rural areas are not supposed to get out of their homes, so it is also the responsibility of men to go and purchase the contraceptive methods for their wives. In this case, men are the leaders and directors of family planning practices in the community. They must do heavy tasks like work which needs working in the fields or being employed by the government.
The way of worship comes in different ways since there are different religions. For example, Hinduism believes in the worship of godlings and spirits of the vegetation, mountains, animals, rivers, and stones. They also practice vows, ritual bathing to sacred shrines, rivers, and mountains. Their priests used to perform rituals for the community in their daily worship. On the other hand, Muslims have Islamic holidays where a cow or a goat is sacrificed in the honor of Allah. These holidays are done in mosques where men pray together.
The role of the family in the Bangla society
In the bangle society, the women have the responsibility of taking their children to Muslim sessions since they cannot attend on their own. They also must give birth as a wife. Their husbands must get out of the house and look for a job to do and be able to cater for their families. More importantly, men are also the ones to make important decisions and give permission to the wives, in case of any Muslim classes or social gatherings. Husbands help their children in their education by assisting them to get along with school homework. In general, they help children in developing their skills from outside. Children also play a role in society. They must help with domestic chores. Girls are supposed to help women or their mothers in the household chores such as cooking and doing laundry while on the other hand, boys are supposed to join their fathers on the farm or the outside chores. They should also participate in other relevant work that rises from society. Children also do participate in making and completing families.
Reference
Lindenbaum, S. (1981). Implications for women of changing marriage transactions in Bangladesh. Studies in Family Planning, 12(11), 394-401.