Infertile women face discrimination in Bangladesh.

Infertile women are facing discrimination in Bangladesh, a situation resulting mainly from ignorance and illiteracy in the country, according to Ayesha Khanam, chairwoman of the Bangladesh Women's Society.

Forms of discrimination range from being subjected to social shame to not being given a share of her husband's assets in the event that he dies.

There are around three million childless couples in Bangladesh and most are looking to find ways to conceive. The reason for this is not primarily because of their desire to have a family but to erase social and legal implications of not having children. In Bangladesh, infertile couples are looked down upon as apaya (unlucky).

In a country with a population of 130 million, Bangladeshi women are often blamed for giving birth to a daughter when a son is required by her husband and his family. The notion that it is a woman's fault if she bears a female child prevails, despite scientific and medical explanations that disprove it.

Childless couples are likewise ostracised when they don't or are unable to bear children. Often, however, the burden is put squarely on the woman's shoulders.

Certain provisions of the law foster discrimination against infertile women. There are many cases wherein the brothers of the widow's deceased husband are awarded a major portion of his assets if he dies without children.

Source: Stigma of Infertility Falls on Women By Tabibul Islam as posted on http://www.ipsnews.net/