Gone are the days when men wanted their bride-to-be to be coy and demure; one whose world hovers around raising children and doing household chores. Apart from educational qualifications, height and ‘fairness’, one new criterion has been added to the matrimonial advertisements now -- she has to be a working woman.   

Atondri Islam started working for an ad firm before she got married. In her words, "A job secures your position in the family. My in-laws wanted a working woman for their son. These days it's difficult to run the family with just the man's earnings."

Kamal Nazim, an official working at the human resource department of a private bank, has tied the knot with one of his colleagues. 

"I haven't got married with a working woman for financial sufficiency. Most of the professional women are open-minded. On top of that they don't get engaged into frivolous issues as they have their own world," said Nazim.

"We share the rents, bills and our child's education fees," he added.

Shipa Hafiza, gender and diversity programme director at BRAC, thinks women empowerment is a collective process.

"The mindset of the men in the society is changing because money plays a vital role here. Even some parents start searching for a job for their daughter before her graduation," said the gender expert.  

Tania Haque, chairperson of women and gender studies department of Dhaka University, said, "When a woman becomes successful and economically empowered, she holds a strong position in her family as well."

Not all women get the same treatment in their families despite being financially independent. The actual empowerment is ensured when she has a say in making decisions.