Interconnected Layers of Gendered Bureaucracy:

How Bureaucrats’ Patriarchal Attitudes Shape Institutions And Outcomes In Bangladesh Civil Service

Abstract

This paper examines the gendered bureaucracy of the Bangladesh Civil Service through the lens of Staudt’s framework on layers of gendered bureaucracy. The analysis focuses on the gendered attitudes and behaviours of bureaucrats, the gendered structure and culture of the BCS, and the gendered outcomes of three selected programmes. Findings reveal that the bureaucrats, institutions and the policy and programme outcomes generated by the bureaucrats through BCS are deeply interconnected, with bureaucrats occupying a central role. The study underscores how the interrelationship between bureaucrats, institutions, and outcomes perpetuates systemic gender bias within the BCS.