Highlights:

• 18,959 or 48% Ducsu voters are female
• Number of contestants is 462 against 28 central posts
• Of them, only 60 or 13% are women
• At the hall level, 1,108 students are vying for 234 posts
• Of them, 188 or 17% are female

Although female students make up almost half of the voters in this year’s Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) election, their participation as candidates remains disproportionately low, an analysis of official data shows.

According to the voter list, a total of 39,874 students are eligible to cast ballots in the upcoming polls. Of them, 18,959 or 47.6% are female, and 20,915 or 52.4% are male.

But when it comes to candidacy, women’s representation is much slimmer. Of the 462 students contesting for 28 posts in the central Ducsu, only 60 or 13% are women, compared to 402 or 87% men.

The picture is slightly better at the hall level, where 1,108 students are vying for 234 posts across 18 residential halls. Of them, 188 or 17% are female candidates, while the rest 920 or 83% are male.

Analysts say this is largely because of the shortage of female dormitories. There are only five halls dedicated to female students— Ruqayyah Hall, Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall, Shamsunnahar Hall, Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, and Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall.

Still, this election has brought some notable shifts. Two female leaders – Sheikh Tasnim Afroz Emi and Umama Fatema – are contesting for the vice president (VP) post from major panels. Emi is nominated by the left-leaning alliance “Force of Resistance”, while Umama, a former Chhatra Federation leader, is spearheading “Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikko.”