State Minister Says He Personally Prefers Only One Spouse to Work

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam has said that he personally does not prefer both husband and wife to work. Although there are no legal or social restrictions on both spouses earning an income or pursuing careers, he commented that doing so could have a negative impact on raising children.

He made the remarks on Tuesday (November 10) at the inauguration of an orientation and training course for newly recruited upazila assistant engineers at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) building in Agargaon, Dhaka.

During his speech, the state minister said, “Personally, I do not prefer both husband and wife to work. The main reason is that it directly affects the children.”

He further clarified, “It is certainly not the case that women are born only to raise children. Someone else can also raise a child, but children who grow up under the close care of their parents develop a different kind of psychological understanding and values.”

At the event, a young engineer told the state minister that his mother had left her job as a primary school teacher after his birth to devote her full time to raising him.

In response, Mir Shah Alam said, “It is almost certain that you were able to become an engineer today because your mother left her job.”

Cautioning against any misrepresentation of his remarks in the media, the state minister said, “I have no objection to both spouses working in the same family. However, it is better for the family if only one of them works—that is entirely my personal opinion.”