RAPID GENDERASSESSMENT
ON THE IMPACT
OF COVID-19 ON
VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMENTECHNICAL REPORT – BANGLADESH SURVEY FIELDWORKAUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021

1. Introduction
Prompted by strong concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the risk of different forms ofviolence against women and girls, particularly intimate partner/domestic violence, and realizing the need tocollect reliable data that are in line with methodological, safety and ethical standards, UN Womencommissioned Ipsos to conduct a study on the impact of COVID-19 on women’s well-being and safety in
13 countries across several regions all over the world. The participating countries were Albania, Bangladesh,
Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand andUkraine.
The core objectives of the study were to:•collect data on the impacts of COVID-19 on violence against women in low- and middle-income
countries.

•

strengthen measurement and methodologies for violence against women data collection and use.

•strengthen available knowledge on all forms of violence against women and improve capacities tocollect, analyse and use data on violence against women in accordance with globally agreed
methodological, safety and ethical standards.

•

inform where the policy and programmatic response of UN Women should focus and support
UN system-wide efforts to scale up actions to address violence against women in the context of
COVID-19.

The following groups contributed to the project’s management and execution:1.

the UN Women project team, comprising statisticians, researchers and policy specialists;

2. the Technical Advisory Group – an external reference group established by UN Women to provide
independent technical advice and expertise to the project;
3. the Ipsos project team involved in the set-up and delivery of the study; and4. national fieldwork partners.

2

Methodology of the study

Target group

Women aged 18+

TimingTwo-phased approach: Phase I (four countries) took place May–June 2021; Phase II (ninecountries) took place August–September 2021

Data collection method

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)
Random probability sampling with monitoring of quota on age and region

Sampling approach
Sample Size

Random-digit dialling to mobile sample frames
1,200 women aged 18+ per country
Target duration of max. 20 minutes
No open-ended answers
Informed consent asked to each participant at the beginning of the interview

Questionnaire length andtype

Awareness of safety, privacy and confidentiality of women respondents
Guided by the “do no harm” principle applicable to the women respondents and theinterviewers/research teamThe questionnaire was adapted in each country by localizing characters’ names andcultural references (i.e., popular food, music, sports).

ScriptingCentral scripting in software applications - iField and Dimensions

Language

At least one main language per country

The country chapters provide information on the set-up of the data collection process (obtaining of ethicalclearance, sampling and translation), description of the fieldwork, main characteristics of the achieved
sample by several indicators (age group, region, area type, educational attainment), technical information(interview duration, contact outcomes, screen-outs, temporary interview suspension at safety questions,survey dropouts, use of safety word, and item non-response), key field observations and relevant lessons
and recommendations.

32. Country information
2. Bangladesh

2.1.1 Obtaining ethical clearance
UN Women sought general support or tacit approval for the study from the Bangladesh Bureau of
Statistics. A ‘no objection’ was granted on 1 April 2021 in support of the project.

2.1.2 Sampling plan
A single-frame cell-phone random-digit dialling (RDD) survey design was used to reach a nationally
representative sample of women aged 18+. The sample mirrored the telephone database distribution(frame size) by provider.1 The gross (unscreened) sample included numbers for each of the providers in the
country to the same proportions as in the frame size. In 2020, 103% of the population had a mobile
subscription;2 in other words, many people in the country have more than one mobile phone number
registered in their name.
Of the 700,000,000 numbers available in the sample frame, 170,136,7623 (24%) were expected to beworking numbers (based on cell subscriptions in 2019). The sample was pulsed, meaning that a signal wassent to the randomly generated phone numbers to verify if the numbers existed (i.e., if connection could beachieved). The upfront pulsing of the gross sample closely reflected the market shares of the different
operators (in terms of subscriptions). The sample was also screened against business registers so as to
exclude numbers that were used by companies. Further details on the sampling frame are provided in
section 2.4.1 of the main technical report.
To ensure a representative sample, quotas were set on age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60+) and region(first-level administrative division), using the following statistical sources:•

Age: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019).4•

Region: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (Population & Housing Census, 2011).5

1 Banglalink (Orascom Telecom Ltd) 200,000,000; Grameenphone 200,000,000; Robi (Robi Axiata Ltd) 200,000,000; TeleTalk 100,000,000.
2 Calculations made using 2020 World Bank data.
3 World Bank Data: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS?end=2020&locations=BD&start=2020
4 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. 2019. World Population Prospects. 2019. Online Edition. Rev. 1.: File
INT/3-3: Women population by single age, region, subregion and country, annually for 1950–2100.
https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Volume-I_Comprehensive-Tables.pdf
5http://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/7b7b171a_731a_4854_8e0a_f8f7dede4a4a/PHC2011PreliminaryReport.pdf

4

2.1.3 Translation
The questionnaire was translated into Bengali.
No issues related to equivalence (conceptual equivalence, semantic equivalence, etc.) were encounteredduring translation.
The questionnaire required localization for several items in the text of the questions and answers,
including widely known, yet neutral in meaning, male and female names, which were used in the vignettes
in the Safety Section of the survey. In Bangladesh, the male name used was রহমান (Rahman) and thefemale, &বগম (Begum).

2.1.4 Fieldwork period
Fieldwork took place between 18 August and 30 September 2021. The field team consisted of 10
interviewers plus four diallers who made initial calls to screen for eligible participants, before transferring
these participants to the interviewers. Following the specifications of the study, both the diallers and theinterviewers were all women. The diallers first introduced the survey and then asked the respondents thescreener questions (on age and region/district). Then they asked eligible respondents if they wished tocontinue the survey. The details of respondents willing to continue were passed to the interviewers on an
ongoing basis, who then called the respondents again and asked if it was a convenient time for theinterview, or if they wished to make an appointment for another time.
The interviewing team did not work on Fridays and also observed one public holiday (Shuva Janmashtami
on 30 August) during the fieldwork. During the first three weeks the fieldwork progressed well and the
local team did not face any issues achieving its weekly targets. Subsequently, however, as interviewers’
focus narrowed to achieving interviews with harder-to-reach respondents in particular regions and age
groups, the pace of progress slowed down. This necessitated the extension of the original fieldwork end
date from 13 September to 30 September. Extensions were also necessary in other countries but in
Bangladesh the fieldwork took the longest. This was partly because, unlike the other countries, theBangladesh team had no pre-existing contact database with which they could supplement the RDD sample
in order to target harder to reach women – specifically women aged 60+ who proved especially difficult
reach. Thus, they had to persevere with the available RDD sample until they were able to achievesatisfactory numbers of women in each target group.

2.1.5 Achieved sample
In total, 1,242 valid interviews were completed in Bangladesh. For the most part, the distribution of thesample across age groups was in line with the targets, with the exception of the 60+ age group, where thenumber of completed interviews was 4 percentage points below the set target.

5

Table 1: Achieved sample, by age group (Bangladesh)Age group

TargetTarget%Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted%6

Difference
unweighted %vs. target %7

Difference
weighted % vs.
target %

18–29

386

32%

420

34%

32%

2%

0%

30–39

292

24%

318

26%

24%

1%

0%

40–49

225

19%

246

20%

19%

1%

0%

50–59

158

13%

160

13%

13%

0%

0%

60+

139

12%

98

8%

12%

-4%

0%

The regional targets were generally met, notwithstanding small shortfalls of 2 percentage points in the
Mymensingh region, 3 points in the Rajshahi region and 5 percentage points in the Rangpur region.
Table 2: Achieved sample, by region (Bangladesh)

RegionTargetTarget%Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted%

Difference
unweighted %vs. target %8

Difference
weighted% vs.
target %Barishal

70

6%

77

6%

6%

0%

0%

Chittagong

242

20%

284

23%

20%

3%

0%

Dhaka

295

25%

342

28%

25%

3%

0%

Mymensingh

92

8%

72

6%

8%

-2%

0%

Khulna

131

11%

159

13%

11%

2%

0%

Rajshahi

154

13%

127

10%

13%

-3%

0%

Rangpur

132

11%

81

7%

11%

-5%

0%

Sylhet

83

7%

100

8%

7%

1%

0%

The distribution across rural (56.4%) and urban (43.6%) areas (as self-reported by respondents) was
relatively close to data from the World Bank that estimate a total rural population of 62%.9

6 Weighting procedures are discussed in more detail in section 4.4.2 of the main technical report.
7 The figures in this column reflect the actual difference of the unweighted and target percentages. Any variations are caused by the rounding up of
the percentages in the table.
8 The figures in this column reflect the actual difference of the unweighted and target percentages. Any variations are caused by the rounding up of
the percentages in the table.
9 World Bank Data: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?end=2020&locations=BD&start=2020&year_high_desc=true

6Table 3: Achieved sample, by area type (Bangladesh)

Area

Completed (unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %

Urban

541

43.6%

42.1%

Rural

701

56.4%

57.9%

Almost half of the respondents had completed primary school or had no formal education, while around athird had completed secondary school or attended technical or vocational training. Around 20% of
respondents had attended a tertiary education programme.

Table 4: Achieved sample, by educational attainment (Bangladesh)

Education level

Completed (unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted %No formal education

161

13.0%

14.9%

Completed primary school

414

33.3%

32.5%

Completed secondary
school

383

30.8%

30.2%

Technical & vocational
training

26

2.1%

2.1%

Completed
university/college

166

13.4%

12.9%

Completed post-graduate

92

7.4%

7.3%

Don't know

0

0.0%

0.0%

Refused

0

0.0%

0.0%

2.1.6 Quality control and data processing
Two interviews were removed from the sample in Bangladesh because they did not meet the quality
criteria in terms of length, straight-lining and/or item non-response. (Section 4.4 of the main technicalreport provides a detailed description of the implemented quality control procedures and how data were
processed).

7

2.1.7 Technical information
The interview duration exceeded the envisaged length of 20 minutes, at 31.91 minutes on average(compared with a mean of 23 minutes across the nine countries in Phase II). This was mainly due to the factthat the interviewers had to reread some questions to respondents and/or give additional explanations tofacilitate comprehension. The local team observed that members of the public in the country, andespecially women, were not so used to participating in surveys over the phone but rather in a face-to-facesetting.
Table 5: Interview duration (Bangladesh)

Mean

MedianStandard deviation

31.91

31.10

6.77

The response rate in Bangladesh was 11.70%, calculated by using the first American Association for Public
Opinion Research (AAPOR) definition of response rate (RR1). That is, the number of complete interviews
divided by the number of interviews (complete plus partial) plus the number of non-interviews (refusal andbreak-off plus non-contacts plus others) plus all cases of unknown eligibility (unknown if housing unit, plus
unknown, other).10
The table below shows the incidence of each outcome code.

Table 6: Contact outcomes (Bangladesh)
Contact outcomesCount% of all outcomes

Fixed appointment

00%Soft appointment

00%Incomplete interview with call-back toresume later00%

Telephone answering device / voicemail/ message service00%Busy / engaged

00%

No answer

00%Complete

1,243

4%

Screen-out

12,47940%

Incomplete interview with no call-back(terminated)

410%Immediate refusal (before eligibility of
respondent has been confirmed)

462

1%

10 AAPOR. 2015. Standard Definitions. https://www.aapor.org/AAPOR_Main/media/MainSiteFiles/Standard-Definitions2015_8thEd.pdf

8Refusal by eligible respondent (after
eligibility of respondent has been
confirmed, but before the actualinterview started)

128

0%

Respondent never available forappointment

7,448

24%

Deceased respondent

10%

Respondent physically or mentally
unable / incompetent

150%Respondent or household language
problem

40%Call blocking / barring / do not call list

1,306

4%

Fax / data line / modem / pager

30%

Non-working / disconnected / dead /bad number

7,746

25%

Non-residential number (business,government office, other organization)

5

0%

Technical issue / CATI system error

00%

The table below provides an overview of specific call outcomes (completed interview, partial interview, andrefusals) by the time of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) and the day of the week. The figures should
be interpreted with caution as they do not reflect the percentage out of all contact attempts performed
during this time/on that day, but the split of these specific outcomes across the time of the day/day of theweek. Feedback from the field team on the best time and the best day to obtain an interview is provided in
section 2.1.8.

Table 7: Call outcome, by time of the day and day of the week (Bangladesh)

SundayMondayTuesdayCompleted interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Morning

40

3%

5

4%

0

0%

Afternoon

159

13%

19

15%

0

0%

Evening

8

1%

1

1%

0

0%

Morning

15

1%

6

5%

0

0%

Afternoon

154

12%

18

14%

0

0%

Evening

7

1%

0

0%

0

0%

Morning

48

4%

8

6%

1

11%

Afternoon

151

12%

15

12%

2

22%

Evening

10

1%

0

0%

0

0%

9

Wednesday

ThursdayFridaySaturdayMorning

31

2%

5

4%

0

0%

Afternoon

156

13%

11

8%

0

0%

Evening

23

2%

0

0%

1

11%

Morning

40

3%

2

2%

0

0%

Afternoon

187

15%

13

10%

2

22%

Evening

9

1%

1

1%

0

0%

Morning

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Afternoon

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Evening

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Morning

40

3%

5

4%

0

0%

Afternoon

145

12%

21

16%

3

33%

Evening

17

1%

0

0%

0

0%

Eighty-six per cent of the sample called were men and so screened out at the very beginning of the survey.
Of all the countries covered in the study, Bangladesh was the country with the largest share of screenedout men. This was the first CATI RDD study conducted by the team in Bangladesh so they held no data that
could provide a benchmark of the likely ratio of men to women in the sample. However, based on theirwider survey experience and familiarity with the local context, they did expect that the sample would beheavily weighted towards men.
Only three respondents were screened out because they were younger than 18 years old, while nine werescreened out because they did not want to participate, and two because they said they did not understandthe confidentiality measures.

Table 8: Screen-outs (Bangladesh)

Question

AnswerCount% of total
answered

S3

Sex: Male

10,792

85.9%

S4_1+S4_2

Age: Below 18 years

3

0.03%

S1

Willing to participate: No

9

0.06%

S6

Understand purpose: No

0

0.00%

S7

Understand confidentiality: No

2

0.02%

The interview was temporarily discontinued in six cases because the respondent answered “no” to one of
the five ‘safety’ questions (listed in Table 9 below).

10

As noted earlier in this report, question S2a was added to the survey for Bangladesh only (And can you also
please confirm that any recording device on your mobile phone is switched off?), after the local teaminformed the central coordinating team that it was common for people in Bangladesh to have apps
installed on their mobile phones that automatically recorded all of their phone conversations. One person
was screened out from the survey because they could not confirm that this app was turned off on theirmobile device.

Table 9: Temporary interview suspension due to responses at safety questions (Bangladesh)

Question

AnswerCount% of total
answeredS2

Can you let me know if the speaker phone is off? No

2

0.1%

S2a

And can you also please confirm that any recording device on yourmobile phone is switched off?

1

0.1%

S5

Can you confirm if now is a good time? No

2

0.1%

B01

Can you confirm that there is no one around you over the age of 2
that can overhear our conversation? No

0

0.0%

C18

Alternatively, if someone over two is listening to our call or is nearby
that can hear, please say no. No

1

0.1%

One hundred and thirty respondents dropped out of the survey. The table below shows the questions at
which the dropouts occurred. The largest numbers of dropouts were at A01 (23), A07 (19) and S11 (15).

Table 10: Survey dropouts, by question (Bangladesh)

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now
we just need a bit more information about you. Would you consider
the area you live in to be urban or rural?

15

11.5%

A01

What is your marital status?

23

17.7%

A07_ASKHow many of the people living in your household are aged 0–17?

19

14.6%

A08_ASKHow many of the people living in your household are men aged 18
or over?

4

3.1%

A06

How many people including yourself, live in your household?

5

3.8%

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

9

6.9%

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each
day…?

2

1.5%

11

% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out% of total
dropouts

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing(even when wearing glasses), hearing (even with hearing
assistance), remembering or concentrating, self-caring orcommunicating?

2

1.5%

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic?

3

2.3%

A12

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack ofmoney or other resources, you or others in your household…

8

6.2%

B01

Thank you for your responses so far. I am now going to ask you
some questions related to your health. Before we begin, thissection, can you confirm that there is no one around you over theage of 2 that can overhear our conversation?

2

1.5%

B02

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts
and feelings since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often
have you been bothered by the following problems since the onsetof the COVID-19 situation? Please answer with: not at all, several
days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.

5

3.8%

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g.,stress, anxiety, confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF
THE COVID-19 SITUATION?

1

0.8%

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone during
the day in the area where you live?

3

2.3%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone atnight in the area where you live?

5

3.8%

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at nightchanged SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

1

0.8%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, orharassment of women is a problem in the area where you live?

3

2.3%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse, or harassment of
women in the area where you live have changed SINCE COVID-19?

3

2.3%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

2

1.5%

C13

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help
from?

3

2.3%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in
the area where you live?

1

0.8%

12

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out% of total
dropouts

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help
from?

3

2.3%

C18

Just to make sure, before we continue, can you confirm that there isno one around you over the age of 2 that can overhear ourconversation? If you are alone, please say yes. Alternatively, if
someone over 2 is listening to our call or is nearby that can hear,please say no.

1

0.8%

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usuallyshare both good and bad moments. And it is normal for people wholive together to have arguments. How often in the last six months
would you say that adults in your household have argued or have
had some sort of conflict among themselves?

4

3.1%

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

1

0.8%

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house by yourself in thelast month?

1

0.8%

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1.
People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2.
I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTERTHE ONSET OF COVID-19
3.
I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
4.
I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

4

0.8%

Total

130

100%

As previously explained, and as part of the safety protocols, respondents were given a safe word, a specificpopular local food (PLF), that they could use if they were disturbed by a third party or otherwise felt unsafe
at any point during the interview. In Bangladesh, the food used was “ভাত” (cooked rice). This word wasused five times during the course of fieldwork. The table below shows the questions at which this occurred.

13

Table 11: Use of popular local food, per question (Bangladesh)
Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now we just need a
bit more information about you. Would you consider the area you live in to be urban
or rural?

4

S12_NEW

And do you own the phone you are speaking on?

1

Total

5

In terms of item non-response (INR), this varied across the survey but was highest at A01, the marital statusquestion (13%). The local team observed that this may in part have been a function of the question being
placed at the beginning of the survey, and also the use of a CATI methodology – the team typicallyexperience fewer INR to marital status questions in face-to-face surveys.
A high item non-response on this question was observed among many of the countries in Phase II of thesurvey – though not during Phase I (the average item non-response for all four Phase I countries at A01 wasless than 5%). This difference may in part reflect the fact that the answer options in the question were
adjusted for Phase II (discussed in detail in section 2.5.2 of the main technical report), with the original‘Married’ option split into two different options: ‘Married, spouse partner is residing with you’ and ‘Married,
spouse/partner is residing elsewhere’. It is possible that the new version raised some sensitivities for
women – for example, they may have been reluctant to report that their husband did not live with them –and thus contributed to high item non-response at this question.
Other questions with high INR were C31_1 (12.30%), C31_4 (12,10%), C31_2 (10,50%), and C31_6 (8.60%). This
may reflect a lack of knowledge among respondents of services available for women in their communities.
The INR for each question in the survey in Bangladesh is presented below. Questions not included in thetable have an INR of 0%.

Table 12: Item non-response (Bangladesh)
Question

Question text

Item nonresponse

A01

What is your marital status?

13.00%

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

0.10%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone at night in thearea where you live?

0.30%

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at night changed
SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

0.50%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, or harassment of
women is a problem in the area where you live?

0.20%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse, or harassment of women in
the area where you live have changed SINCE COVID-19?

0.40%

14

C11

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or thesame for [Scripter: insert Female name] from this story?

0.20%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for this situation?

0.10%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area
where you live?

0.30%

C15

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or thesame for [Scripter: insert Female name] from this story in terms of her feelingsof safety?

0.70%

C20

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict between adults inyour household more frequent, less frequent or about the same?

0.20%

C23_1

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?
1. I have a serious medical condition or disability and feel vulnerable

0.10%

C23_9

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?
9. Other women in the household have been hurt

0.10%

C23_10Why do you feel unsafe in your home?
10. Children in the household have been hurt

0.10%

C29B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]
98. Don’t know
99. Refused

0.10%

C30_1

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19,
or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
1. Been slapped, hit, kicked, had things thrown at them, or other physical harm

1.40%

C30_2

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19,
or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
2. Been yelled at, called names, humiliated

0.70%

C30_3

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19,
or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
3. Had resources (like healthcare) or basic needs (like money, food, water,
shelter) denied

2.90%

15

C30_4

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19,
or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
4. Been forced to stay alone for long period of time or denied communication
with other people

3.50%

C30_5

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19,
or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
5. Been the subject of inappropriate jokes, suggestive comments, leering, or
unwelcome touch/kisses

2.30%

C31_1

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
1. Information about security/crime prevention

12.30%

C31_2

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
2. Access to basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing

10.50%

C31_3

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
3. Medical support

5.80%

C31_4

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
4. Someone to talk to like professional mental health experts

12.10%

C31_5

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
5. Legal support or help in reporting the incident or dealing with police

6.90%

C31_6

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
6. Financial support

8.60%

16

2.1.8 Field observations
This section describes the observations made by the field managers and interviewers in the course of
fieldwork. The observations relate to the most productive days for fieldwork; the main reasons for refusal totake part in the survey; challenges reaching certain age groups; and the clarity of terms, concepts andquestions, among other topics. The observations effectively complement the fieldwork statistics includedin the previous section, providing a more nuanced picture of the fieldwork experience.
•

According to the field team, there was no single best day of the week to reach respondents and all
weekdays were equally productive. The weekend in Bangladesh falls on Friday and Saturday and nointerviews took place on Fridays. As far as the most suitable time of the day to reach respondents
was concerned, the interviewers observed that it was easier to reach respondents in the mornings
from 9:30 am to 12 pm and particularly in the afternoons between 3 pm and 6 pm, than at othertimes.

•The main reasons for refusals to take part in the survey were a lack of time, a perceived lack ofpersonal benefits to taking part, and a general lack of interest. Another reason observed was therequest to have the speakerphone turned off and the fact that respondents did not think suchprivacy protocols were necessary when talking to a stranger on the phone.

•

The oldest age group (60+) was less represented in the RDD sample frame and generally proved
harder to reach than other age groups. It should be noted that mobile phone ownership among thisage group in Bangladesh is very low. Unfortunately, the interviewing team did not have an existing
contact database (for example, one compiled from previous surveys conducted in the country) withwhich to supplement the RDD sample, as was done on other countries. Further, given the sensitivityof the study and the applied safety protocols, snowballing was not considered a safe alternative
method of reaching older women. Therefore, the interviewers had to rely solely on the RDD sample,
which led to the significant extension of the fieldwork period.

•

The (telephone) data-collection method was perceived as appropriate – albeit the local teamemphasized the importance of a sufficiently long fieldwork period to ensure quotas can be met.

In terms of observations relating to the survey questionnaire:•

The field team reported that respondents in Bangladesh found questions such as “Do you feel safe
at home?” and “How often in the last six months have adults in your household argued?” moresensitive to answer and exhibited some discomfort in answering them (for example lowered their
voice or took longer to respond).

•

Although women received detailed instructions about the use of the popular local food safe word,
only five of the respondents in Bangladesh actually made appropriate use of it when the relevant
circumstances arose – that is, when their privacy became compromised. More typically, when
respondents were interrupted, they said: “my husband has come/my mother-in-law is around, I
cannot continue”. In these situations another appointment was made to complete the interview at
a different time.

172.1.9 Lessons learned and recommendations
This section draws upon the fieldwork statistics and observations outlined in the previous sections toprovide recommendations for future surveys on violence against women in Bangladesh. Specifically,
whether remote data collection can be considered an appropriate approach to develop an evidence base on
perceptions and incidence.
•

CATI and the use of a single-frame cell phone RDD design worked well in Bangladesh and theresearchers recommend considering this approach for future data-collection activities on violenceagainst women. That said, older women (60+) and those living in certain regions (Mymensingh,
Rajshahi and Rangpur) were more difficult to reach than other groups with the RDD sample. Thisshould be reflected in the time dedicated to active data collection in future surveys with age- andregion-based quotas. A longer fieldwork period would help to ensure the quotas are uniformly
achieved. In the case of a face-to-face approach, a longer fieldwork period would be absolutely
necessary, owing to the extra time required for physical visits to prospective respondents’ homes.
For any surveys with shorter fieldwork periods, consideration should be given from the outset tosupplementing the RDD sample with available contact databases that mimic the characteristics of
the RDD sample. This would increase the likelihood of quotas for harder-to-reach age groups being
met. No such database was held by the Bangladesh team for this particular study but indicating thebenefits of a contact database (which matches the requirements of the study) to the local teamearly on in the preparation stage of the study may lead to productive contingency preparations.

•

Given the field team’s observations that the hours between 9:30 am and 12 pm in the morning andbetween 3 pm and 6 pm in the afternoon were the most productive times for interviewing, it isrecommended that additional resources be allocated to data-collection activities at these times,
while at the same time remaining mindful of the need to avoid skewing the sample by interviewing
only the most easy-to-reach women.

•

Given the discovery that it is commonplace for people Bangladesh to have apps installed on theirmobile phones that automatically recorded their conversations, this should be borne in mind forany future surveys on violence against women in the country. It is strongly recommended that any
such surveys incorporate a safety question similar to S2a that asks respondents to confirm that
their recording device has been switched off before the interview proceeds.

Roughly 13% of the respondents did not answer the question about their marital status (A01). The issue wasalso evident to varying degrees across most of the other phase II countries. As mentioned, the wording of
the answer options to A01 was adjusted in Phase II of the study and this may in part have contributed tothe higher item non-response rate observed. This point notwithstanding, generally it is recommended that
potentially sensitive socio-demographic questions like marital status be placed towards the end of a survey(rather than at the beginning as was the case in the Rapid Gender Assessment Survey), by which point
some rapport will have been built between the interviewer and the respondent, making it easier for theinterviewer to obtain an answer to the question. Including it at the end will also help to ensure that it does
not cause dropouts early on in the survey.

18

© 2022 UN Women. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily
represent the views of UN Women, the United
Nations or any of its affiliated organizations.
Produced by the Women Count programme
Research partner: Ipsos
Editor: Jen Ross
Design: Ouissal Hmazzou

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