A rain-drenched city and an unequal commute

"I had to sit my HSC examination in those conditions. My uniform was completely drenched before I had even reached halfway to the exam centre. I spent the entire exam feeling cold and uncomfortable because there was nothing I could do."

The words of a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinee capture the reality thousands of women and girls endured across Dhaka last week as relentless rainfall submerged roads, paralysed transport and brought much of the capital to a standstill. 

While the flooding disrupted life for everyone, women from schoolgirls and university students to office workers, mothers and elderly commuters found themselves confronting a distinctly gendered crisis, where every journey became a test of safety, health and patience.

The plight of HSC candidates quickly emerged as one of the most contentious issues during the floods. Despite the relentless downpour paralysing much of the city, Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon declined to reschedule the examinations. 

The decision drew widespread criticism from students and guardians, many of whom argued that reaching examination centres had become both unsafe and, in some areas, nearly impossible.

Female students were among those most severely affected. Many travelled through waist or knee-deep floodwater in soaked uniforms before sitting for examinations that would shape their academic futures. The decision sparked protests and road blockades, with students later demanding the minister's resignation. 

The issue also reached the Parliament, where Member of Parliament Rumeen Farhana raised concerns over the hardships imposed on examinees.

The controversy reflected a wider reality that extended far beyond examination halls.

For several consecutive days, heavy rainfall left roads waterlogged, paralysed traffic and disrupted public transport across Dhaka and many parts of Bangladesh. Office workers arrived hours late, classes were interrupted and businesses operated at reduced capacity. Yet behind the broader picture of urban disruption lay the untold stories of how women experienced the crisis differently.

"I am required to clock in by 9:30am and even a one-minute delay is recorded as a day's late attendance. During those days, the rain was relentless, and so was my HR department. Despite leaving home an hour earlier than usual, the earliest I managed to clock in was 11:15am - even though my regular commute takes no more than 20 minutes," recalled Homayra Nasrin, a banker who commutes from Banasree to Gulshan-1 five days a week.

For most women, leaving home amid the continuous downpour became a carefully calculated ordeal. A journey that would normally take less than an hour stretched into several hours as buses became scarce, ride-sharing fares surged and rickshaws became an inconvenience to navigate the waterlogged streets.

Dhaka is a city shaped by rivers and lakes, with water transport forming an important part of its urban landscape. However, the Hatirjheel Water Taxi service was largely suspended during the spell of incessant rain because operating conditions became unsafe. One of the capital's most convenient commuting routes between Hatirjheel and the Gulshan lake circuit suddenly became unavailable, pushing even more commuters onto already gridlocked roads.

Even after securing transport, the challenges rarely ended.

Walking through ankle or knee-deep water meant navigating open drains hidden beneath murky floodwater, broken pavements and slippery roads. For women, however, the hazards extended far beyond avoiding a fall.

Many said they were forced to choose between arriving late for work or wading through contaminated water that soaked their clothes, leaving them uncomfortable and vulnerable throughout the day.

For menstruating women, the experience was particularly distressing. Remaining in wet clothes for hours while travelling or waiting in traffic, often without access to clean toilets or private changing facilities, created both immediate discomfort and broader health concerns. 

Many worried about maintaining menstrual hygiene in unsanitary conditions, while prolonged exposure to damp clothing increased concerns over skin irritation, rashes and infections. Some deliberately limited their movement or delayed changing menstrual products because suitable facilities were unavailable, making already painful periods even more physically and emotionally distressing.

The stress was compounded by uncertainty. A commute that normally lasted 30 minutes could suddenly stretch into three or four hours, leaving women unable to predict when they would next have access to a clean washroom. For many, the flooding transformed menstruation from a manageable part of daily life into an additional burden layered onto an already punishing journey.

Traditional office attire added another layer of hardship. Sarees, salwar kameez and long trousers quickly absorbed muddy floodwater, becoming heavy and difficult to walk in. Shoes filled with water, mud stained clothing and many reached their workplaces already drenched, only to spend the remainder of the day in wet garments.

The situation was equally difficult for elderly women, many of whom struggled to keep their balance on slippery roads or board overcrowded buses while carrying bags and umbrellas. 

Young girls travelling to schools and colleges faced similar challenges, often crossing flooded streets where the road surface had completely disappeared beneath muddy water.

Many students attended classes wearing soaked uniforms or carrying spare clothes, while others stayed home because travelling safely was simply not possible.

For women, the flooding also magnified problems that already define daily commuting in Dhaka. Even under normal circumstances, many navigate narrow or inaccessible footpaths, broken pavements and roads blocked by parked vehicles or street vendors, often forcing them onto busy carriageways.

Added to these everyday challenges are the unsolicited comments, staring and harassment many women routinely endure while travelling. 

Floodwaters removed whatever little safe walking space remained, forcing women into more crowded areas where they felt even more exposed and vulnerable.

The discomfort therefore extended well beyond wet clothes. Every journey became a negotiation between personal safety, health and the pressure to reach destinations on time.

Public transport became increasingly overcrowded as commuters competed for fewer available vehicles. Women often found themselves squeezed into packed buses with little personal space, where maintaining comfort became almost impossible.

Long traffic jams also meant spending hours inside buses without access to clean public toilets.

That poses a particular challenge for women, many of whom deliberately reduce their water intake before leaving home because public toilet facilities remain scarce, inaccessible or unhygienic. During prolonged journeys caused by flooding, that coping mechanism often becomes physically exhausting and potentially harmful.

For mothers travelling with children, the burden multiplied.

Many had to carry school bags, umbrellas, lunch boxes and sometimes young children through flooded streets while trying to avoid fast-moving traffic and open manholes and potholes concealed beneath muddy water.

Women employed in hospitals, retail outlets, restaurants, factories and other occupations requiring physical attendance often had little choice but to report for duty despite the weather. Working from home remained an option for only a limited number of professions.

The rains also exposed another persistent problem.

Floodwater mixed with overflowing drains and sewage left many commuters wading through contaminated water. Besides damaging clothing and personal belongings, prolonged exposure heightened concerns over skin infections and waterborne diseases.

For many women, returning home after sunset brought fresh anxieties.

Power outages in some neighbourhoods reduced street lighting, while flooded roads forced pedestrians onto unfamiliar routes. The combination of darkness, standing water and limited public transport made journeys feel even less secure.

Domestic responsibilities offered little respite after reaching home. Many women returned from gruelling commutes only to begin cooking, cleaning, caring for children or elderly family members and managing other household responsibilities. The working day simply continued in another form.

Urban planners and gender specialists have long argued that transport systems and disaster responses frequently overlook the different ways women experience cities during extreme weather.

Climate experts have increasingly warned that extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. While such disasters affect entire communities, their consequences are rarely experienced equally, particularly in countries such as Bangladesh where extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. 

According to a UN Women report, climate change disproportionately affects women because existing social and economic inequalities make them more vulnerable during disasters and climate-related crises. Women often have less access to resources, public services and decision-making, while simultaneously carrying a greater share of unpaid care and domestic work. During emergencies, those responsibilities frequently increase rather than diminish.

The report further notes that climate shocks often deepen existing gender inequalities, limiting women's mobility, disrupting access to healthcare and sanitation, increasing health risks and exposing them to greater threats of violence and insecurity. Poor infrastructure and inadequate disaster planning tend to magnify these vulnerabilities, particularly for women living in densely populated urban areas.

The experiences of women navigating Dhaka's flooded streets last week reflected many of those realities. A journey delayed by floodwater was rarely just a transport problem. It became a chain of challenges involving personal safety, menstrual hygiene, access to sanitation, caregiving responsibilities, workplace expectations and physical health, all unfolding simultaneously.

Flooding affects everyone, but unequal access to sanitation, safety, transport and public infrastructure means its consequences are rarely shared equally.

As climate change continues to reshape weather patterns across Bangladesh, gender specialists argue that building climate-resilient cities must also mean designing transport systems, public infrastructure and disaster responses that recognise the different ways women experience urban emergencies.

As climate change contributes to more frequent and intense rainfall events, these experiences are becoming increasingly familiar. However, familiarity should not be equated with normalcy. As climate change increasingly affects women disproportionately, infrastructure and urban planning policies must evolve to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities.

For many women in Dhaka, last week's downpours were never simply about getting drenched. They were about navigating flooded streets, unreliable transport, inadequate sanitation, inaccessible infrastructure, concerns over harassment and unpaid domestic responsibilities, all while trying to fulfil the expectations of work, education and family life.

The rain eventually stopped and the floodwater slowly drained from the streets. For countless women across the capital, however, the inequalities the storm exposed remained firmly in place, waiting for the next spell of heavy rain to bring them to the surface once again.

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