Impact of legal recognition on the lives of the third gender: A study in Khulna district of Bangladesh

Abstract

The third gender, popularly known as ‘hijra’, is a gender non-conforming person residing in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh granted legal recognition (LR) in 2013 to acknowledge them as a third gender. Thus, using an exploratory qualitative inquiry, the study sought to understand how LR affected the lives of the third gender community in the Khulna district of Bangladesh. Thirteen participants were selected following snowball sampling, and data were collected using in-depth interviews and key informant interviews. In the domain of socio-cultural dynamics, we found that the LR had enhanced the social participation of the third gender community and given them a sense of identity. On the contrary, within the domain of economic lives, the LR has not been able to change their economic situation. Moreover, in the third domain, we observed an improved situation for the third gender population in their right to vote and political participation, but in accessing healthcare facilities, inheritance, and legal services, LR remained unsatisfactory. The study recommends promoting acceptance and reducing social stigma towards the third gender community through awareness campaigns, providing professional training programs to enable their financial independence, and enacting laws to protect their rights in Bangladesh.