DHAKA: In a significant break from past government practices, Bangladesh’s caretaker administration has officially scrapped the long-standing protocol of addressing female officials as “sir” — a practice deemed outdated and inappropriate by the current leadership.
The announcement came in a statement released late Thursday by the press wing of the interim government, which is currently overseeing the country’s affairs ahead of the next general elections.
The directive, originally enforced during former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year rule, had required government and public officials to address her, and by extension other high-ranking women, using the male honorific “sir.” The caretaker government has now labelled this practice as an “odd” relic of Hasina’s time in power and stated that the mandate has officially been “annulled.”
“This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were — and still are — being called ‘sir,’ which is clearly odd,” the statement read. It went on to suggest that the directive was part of an entrenched culture of sycophancy and authoritarianism fostered under Hasina’s rule.
To further address other outdated or problematic official protocols, the government has also announced the formation of a new committee tasked with reviewing and revising protocol-related procedures across all ministries and departments.
The aim, according to the press release, is to modernize government etiquette and align it with democratic and inclusive values.
However, the decision has sparked a mixed response from within the bureaucracy. One female official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the caretaker government did not consult women civil servants before making the change. “The tradition began during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but many women officers supported it,” she said. “Some even viewed it as a gender-neutral term in a professional context, rather than a male-specific title.”
This disagreement highlights a broader conversation about gender, language, and professional decorum in South Asia, where colonial-era bureaucratic traditions still heavily influence official communication.
While critics view the use of “sir” for women as symbolic of systemic gender erasure, others see it as a pragmatic adaptation to a rigid and hierarchical structure.
Nonetheless, the caretaker government’s decision is being seen as part of a broader push to distinguish itself from the Hasina-led Awami League government and to portray a more progressive and reform-oriented image.
Whether this symbolic step will be welcomed or resisted in practice remains to be seen, but it marks a clear intention to reshape the tone and culture of public service in Bangladesh.
