Dr. Soma Dey :: Faculty Profile :: University of Dhaka

Biography

Soma Dey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka. She obtained a PhD in Gender & Development Studies (GDS) from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. She achieved M.Phil, M.Sc & B.Sc degrees in Geography and Environment from the University of Dhaka. Dr Dey started her teaching career as a faculty ...

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Degree Name	Group/Major Subject	Board/Institute	Country	Passing Year
Ph.D.	Gender and Development	Asian Institute of Technology	Thailand	2013
M.Phil.	Geography & Environment	University of Dhaka	Bangladesh	2003
Masters	Geography & Environment	University of Dhaka	Bangladesh	2000
Bachelor	Geography & Environment	University of Dhaka	Bangladesh	1999
H.S.C	Humanities	Dhaka	Bangladesh	1994
S.S.C	Humanities	Jessore	Bangladesh	1992

Title	Organization	Location	From Date	To Date
Guest Editor: Special Issue - Empowering Women through Local Climate Initiatives: Lessons from Asia and the Pacific	Women's Studies International Forum (Elsevier)		Nov 2025	Present
Honorary Associate Professor	University of Queensland	Australia	Apr 2025	Present
Associate Professor	University of Dhaka	Department of Women & Gender Studies	Jul 2020	Present
Assistant Professor	University of Dhaka	Department of Women & Gender Studies	Mar 2015	Sep 2020
Part-time Faculty	Stamford University, Bangladesh	Department of Environmental Science	Jan 2014	Mar 2014
Lecturer (project)	University of Dhaka	Department of Women & Gender Studies	Jan 2006	Aug 2019
Lecturer	Stamford University Bangladesh	Departmmnet of Environmental Science	Oct 2003	Dec 2006

Research Interest

Subject	Description	Research Interest (Goal, Target Indicator)
Indigenous Society	The bulk of research of my interest involves the matrilineal Garo community of Bangladesh. I am interested in studying how the contemporary indigenous communities, especially indigenous women negotiate traditional gender roles, responsibilities and rights in the backdrop of environmental restructuring and influx of outside culture.
Gender and Migration	I stepped in the field of gender and migration with a study on marriage migration. Recently, I have started working on the changing trend of international migration and its implications for Bangladeshi women and men.
Gender, Environment and Natural Resource Management	I am interested in investigating how the nexus between gender & nature is being reconstituted in contemporary societies through the ideological and material interventions of multi-scalar forces. Drawing upon the framework of Feminist Political Ecology (FPE), my objective is to explore: a) women's role as producer, consumer and manager of natural resources, b) the gendered effects of policies and interventions targeting sustainable management of natural resources, and c) women's struggles for safeguarding the environment and natural resources.
Gender & Livelihoods	I am interested in examining the impacts of globalisation, economic reforms and new technology on the livelihoods and gender relations focusing particularly on: a) agrarian transformation, b) export-oriented industry and c) informal work.

Project/Research Supervision

Level of Study	Title	Supervisor	Co-Supervisor(s)	Name of Student(s)	Area of Research	Current Completion
Ph.D.	Women in medical education and medical profession: feminization trend and challenges in Bangladesh	Dr. Soma Dey	Dr. Sanzida Akhter	Ayesha Afroz Chowdhury		Current Year
Masters	Roles and Challenges of Women in Dhaka Stock Exchnage	Supervisor		Faria Labonno		2024
Masters	Gendered Vulnerabilities and coping : Experince of elderly people in Dhaka City	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Tasnim Khan		2021
Masters	Gendered Land Rights: Voices of Women in Satkhira District	Dr. Soma Dey		Najmun Nahar Supti		2019
Masters	Tiger Widows in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Sultana	Gender and Livelihoods	2016
Masters	Transition from Subsistence to Commercial Agriculture in Chittagong Hill Tracts Area: Boosts and Challenges to Chakma Women’s Empowerment	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Urbi Chakma	Gender and Agriculture	2016
Masters	Impact of River Bank Erosion on the Women of Ulania Village, Barisal District, Bangladesh	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Khadiza Akhter	Gender and Environment	2015
Research Project Report/Other	The Impacts of Water Crisis on Indigenous Women and Their Coping Mechanisms	Dr Soma Dey		Saptorshi Dewan	Gender, Ethicity and Water Insecurity	2024
Research Project Report/Other	Gender Role Reconstruction through Livelihood Changes: A Case Study of Bede Community in Sunamgonj	Dr Soma Dey		Sabrina Moontaj	Gender and Livelihoods	2024
Research Project Report/Other	Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on female school teachers	Dr. Soma Dey		Priyanka Karim		2021
Research Project Report/Other	An Assessment of Parental Attitude towards the Inclusion of Sex Education in the School Curriculum of Bangladesh	Dr. Soma Dey		Fatematuzzahura Titly		2021
Research Project Report/Other	Gendered impact of labor migration: A study on the left-behind wives’ decision making power	Dr Soma Dey (Monograph)		Abdul Halim		2021
Research Project Report/Other	Livelihood struggles of domestic workers during Covid- 19 pandemic in Bangladesh : A gender analysis	Dr. Soma Dey		Israt Jarin		2021
Research Project Report/Other	Shifting Power Relationship within the Household: A Study on the Elderly Couples in Dhaka City	Dr. Soma Dey (Monograph)		Ms. Tasnim Khan	Gender and Aging	2020
Research Project Report/Other	Women, Paid Work and Household Gender Relationship: A Study on the RMG Workers at Savar, Dhaka	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Arpita Das	Women and the RMG Industry	2019
Research Project Report/Other	Examining Empowerment: Narratives of Homemaker Women in Dhaka City	Dr. Soma Dey ( Monograph)		Ms. Ayesha Ayesha Binte Rabbani	Gender and Unpaid Care Work	2019
Research Project Report/Other	Polygyny and Power Relationship: A Study on the Co-wives	Dr. Soma Dey ( Monograph)		Ms. Nadia Sultana	Gender and Marital Relationship	2019
Research Project Report/Other	Gender, Livelihoods and intra-household power relations : A Study of Environmental Migrants	Dr Soma Dey		Redia Afrose	Gender, Enviornment and Migration
Research Project Report/Other	Gender Role Reconstruction through Livelihood Changes: A Case Study of Bede Community in Sunamgonj	Dr Soma Dey		Sabrina Moontaj	Gender, Culture
Research Project Report/Other	Coastal Women's Roles and Obstacles in Disaster Management: A Study in Koyra Upazila, Bangladesh	Dr Soma Dey		Imran Hossain	Gender and Disaster Management
Research Project Report/Other	Women’s expectations and experiences of e-health services in Sadar Hospitals: A Case Study of Nabinagar Upazilla Health Complex, Brahmanbaria	Dr. Soma Dey		Mr. Tonmoy Deb	ICT and Gender
Research Project Report/Other	Gender inequality in agriculture: A case study of the Matrilineal Garo Community of Madhupur Sal forest area	Dr. Soma Dey		Ms. Munia Sultana	Gender and Agriculture
Research Project Report/Other	Male Migration and Status of Left behind Women: A Case Study of Mogra village, Brahmanbaria	Dr. Soma Dey (Monograph)		Mr. Jahirul Islam	Gender and Migration

Project/Research Work

Subject	Project Name	Source of Fund	From Date	To Date	Collaboration
Financial Inclusion	Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	01-04-2022	01-04-2024	Independent researcher
Disaster & community resilence	Scoping Study of New BDRCS-SRC Resilience Program in Bangladesh	Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS)	04-04-2017	30-04-2017	Research consultant
Gender, Agriculture & Nutrition	Women’s Empowerment and Child Nutrition: Reducing the Gap with Dairy Cow Rearing	, INGENAES/USAID.	15-02-2016	15-04-2016	Department of Women & Gender Studies & University of Illinois
Violence against women and girls	Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Dhaka City: A Situational Analysis	Plan International	01-04-2015	01-01-2016	Department of Women & Gender Studies & Plan International
Women & Informal work	Mapping Homeworkers and their Organizations in Dhaka City	HomeNet South Asia (HNSA) Trust.	01-01-2012	31-03-2012	Independent research
Women & informal work	Extending Civic Amenities for the Home-based Workers in Dhaka City	HomeNet South Asia (HNSA) Trust	07-07-2007	07-08-2014	Independent research

Invited Talk

SL	Invited Talk
1	https://womenconference.co/
2	https://www.facebook.com/groups/rkmmdhakabhaktamandali/permalink/1086624875726204/?rdid=uNuP7E1ocFfhnR8k
3	https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/mjf-roundtable-unpaid-care-domestic-work-affect-womens-quality-output-2912771?fbclid=IwAR3xYXBtB0OStkZARb94rI98CjLE10fAWXCgaGnYoKYSGCjXtgD_vZO5a3A
4	https://www.facebook.com/QSUOfficial/videos/319213386354647
5	https://sites.google.com/view/icsdgagp/keynote-speakers?authuser=0
6	https://www.facebook.com/Coloursfm1016/videos/1246465735558999
7	https://www.facebook.com/Coloursfm1016/videos/750199302386793

SL	Collaboration & Membership Name	Type	Membership Year	Expire Year
1	The Australian Women’s and Gender Studies Association	Member	2026	2027
2	Asiatic Society	General Member	Since 2023
3	AIT Alumni, Thailand	Member	2013	Life Time
4	Bangladesh Geographical Society(BGS)		2000	Life Time
5	Compliant Committee for Preventing Sexual Harassment, Health Economics Unit, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh.	Member	2019

Book Section
1	Author "Gender, Environment, and Livelihoods: Theoretical Developments and the Experience of Matrilineal Garo Community in Bangladesh." Gender and Geography: Agendas and Challenges in South Asia. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026 443–467 . View More
2	Sanzida Akhter and Soma Dey "On the edge: Factors behind financial inclusion and women’s achievements." Towards Inclusive Transformation: A Study on gender gap in financial inclusion in Bangladesh. Academic Press and Publishers Library, 2025 191-222 .
3	Basak, P., Dey, S., & Elahi, K.M. "Air Pollution in Urban Bangladesh from Climate Change and Public Health Perspectives." Climate Change and Human Health Scenarios. Global Perspectives on Health Geography. Akhtar, R. Springer, 2023 . View More
4	Palash Basak, Soma Dey and K Maudood Elahi "COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A Spatio-temporal and Gender Analysis." The book: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreaks, Vaccination, Politics and Society. Springer, 2022 . View More
5	Soma Dey and Runa Laila ". Reconstruction of Women’s Role in Jhum Cultivation & the Shift in the Gendered Division of Labour among the Garos." In Lives, Livelihood and Leadership: transformation of gendered roles in Bangladesh. Megna Guha Thakurata & Ayesha Banu (Eds,) Dhaka: UPL, 2016 7-39 . View More
6	Rosie Majid Ahsan and Soma Dey "Marriage Migration of Muslim and Hindu Women of Galachipa Pourashava in Patuakhali District: A Comparative Study." Gender Geography: A Reader, Bangladesh Perspective. Rosie Majid Ahsan, Nasreen Ahmad & Hafiza Khatun (EDS.) Dhaka: The Bangladesh Geographical Society, 2005 405-427 .
7	Rosie Majid Ahsan and Soma Dey "Marriage Migration Process of Women: A Proposed Model." Nagarayane Bangladesh (in Bangla),. Nazrul Islam and Abdul Baki Dhaka: Department of Geography & Environment, 2002 167-181 .

Journal Article
1	Tasnim Nowshin Fariha and Soma Dey : omen’s F-commerce experiences in Bangladesh: empowerment possibilities and challenges, Gender, Technology and Development (impact factor:1.2) , vol.29 , no.1 Taylor & Francis/Routledge , pp.136-159 , 2025 .
2	Sanzida Akhter, Soma Dey and Tasnim Nowshin Fariha : Was there a way out?: Nexus among domestic violence, stressors, and resources During COVID-19 among the urban middle-class families in Bangladesh, Social Science Review , vol.40 , no.2 , pp.1-22 , 2024 .
3	Basak, P., Momtaz, S., Gaston, T.F., Dey, S. : Changing Land Use and Urban Dynamics around an Industrial Zone in Bangladesh: A Remote Sensing Analysis, Land (impact factor:3.9 (2022)) , 2023 .
4	Soma Dey and Khan Tahdia Tasnim Mou : Gender Roles and Relations at a Later Age: Perceptions and Practices of Older Couples in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, Perspectives in Social Science , vol.17 , no.1 Centre for Advanced Research in Social Sciences, University of Dhaka , pp.47-64 , 2023 . View More
5	Soma Dey, Sanzida Akhter and Tasnim Nowshin Fariha : Disaster Perceptions, Experiences and Responses to COVID-19: A Gender Analysis, Perspectives in Social Science , vol.16 , no.Special Issue on the Covid -19 Pandemic Centre for Advanced Research in Social Sciences, University of Dhaka , pp.25-42 , 2022 .
6	Nahid Sultana and Soma Dey : From Vulnerability to Resilience: A Study on the Livelihood Struggles of the Tiger Widows in Bangladesh, Asian Journal of Women's Studies (impact factor:0.350 (2020-2021)) , vol.27 , no.1 Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group , pp.2-21 , 2021 . View More
7	Soma Dey and Runa Laila : Women’s status and fertility: Realities of matrilineal Garo women in Bangladesh, Empowerment , vol.27 , no.2020 , pp.23-40 , 2020 .
8	Khadiza Akhter, Soma Dey and Shakeel Hasan : Riverbank erosion and its impact on rural women: A case study of Ulania village, Bangladesh, Asian Journal of Women's Studies (impact factor:0.19 (2017)) , vol.25 , no.1 , pp.76-95 , 2019 . View More
9	Sanzida Akhter, Soma Dey and Kuntala Chowdhury : Immigrant Bangladeshis in Australia: Reorganization of Gender Roles and Power Relations, Social Science Review , vol.35 , no.2 , pp.43-63 , 2018 .
10	Soma Dey and Palash Basak : Out of the shadows: Women and wage struggle in the RMG industry of Bangladesh, Asian Journal of Women's Studies (impact factor:0.19 (2017)) , vol.23 , no.2 , pp.163-182 , 2017 . View More
11	Soma Dey and Palash Basak : Rana Plaza Disaster and Thereafter: Evaluating the Condition of RMG Workers in Bangladesh, Perspective in Social Sciences , vol.12 , no.1 , pp.67-85 , 2017 .
12	Soma Dey : New Agriculture, New Knowledge and New Gender Roles: Sharing the Experience of an Indigenous Community, Social Science Review , vol.33 , no.2 , pp.1-12 , 2016 .
13	Soma Dey : Resource Enclosure, Land rights and Gender: A Case Study of the Matrilineal Garo Community of Modhupur Sal Forest, Bangladesh, Empowerment , vol.22 , no.1 , pp.99-114 , 2015 .
14	Soma Dey : An Assessment of the Situation of Women Home Workers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, International Journal of Green Economics (impact factor:o.67) , vol.9 , no.1 , pp.24-34 , 2015 . View More
15	Soma Dey, Bernadette P. Resurreccion and Philippe Doneys : Gender and Environmental Struggles: Voices from Adivasi Garo Community in Bangladesh, Gender, Place & Culture (impact factor:1.594 (2017)) , vol.21 , no.8 , pp.945-982 , 2014 . View More
16	Soma Dey : Book Review 'Market and Malthus: Population, Gender, and Health in Neo-liberal Times', Gender, Technology and Development (impact factor:1.70 (2018)) , vol.16 , no.2 , pp.247-252 , 2012 . View More
17	Ishrat Parveen and Soma Dey : Gender Discrimination in the Construction Industry of Bangladesh, International Journal of Green Economics (impact factor:0.67) , vol.3 , no.2 , pp.223-233 , 2009 . View More
18	Soma Dey and Sabiha Sultana : The Socio-Cultural Impacts of Economic Changes to Matrilineal Garo Society in Bangladesh, International Journal of Green Economics (impact factor:0.67) , vol.3 , no.2 , pp.184-198 , 2009 . View More
19	Soma Dey : Deforestation and the Garo Women of Modhupur Garh, Bangladesh, Asian Women , vol.24 , no.2 , pp.57-81 , 2008 . View More
20	Soma Dey : Commercialization Of Indigenous Economy And Its Impact On The Environment Of Modhupur Garh, Bangladesh., Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development , vol.1 , no.5/2 University of Alberta Library , pp.74 - 83 , 2007 .
21	Rosie Majod Ahsan and Soma Dey : A Geographical Analysis of Degraded Modhupur Sal Forest ( in Bangla), Bhugol O Poribesh Journal , vol.5 , no.Special , 2006 .
22	Soma Dey and Palash Basak : Trafficking Routes of Women and Children near Border Areas of Jessore and Chapai-Nawabganj Districts (in Bangla), Bhugol o Poribesh Journal , vol.3 , no.1 , pp.61-74 , 2003 .
23	Soma Dey : Book Review: Climate Change, Gender Roles, and Hierarchies: Socio-economic Transformation in an Ethnic Minority Community in Viet Nam, Gender, Technology and Development (impact factor:1.9 (2020)) Taylor & Francis , 2021 . View More
24	Soma Dey, Sanzida Akhter and Tasnim Nowshin Fariha : Diminishing Inequalities? A Study on Reconstituted Gender Relations in Bangladeshi Households During the COVID-19 Crisis, Journal of International Women's Studies , vol.22 , no.12 Bridgewater State University, USA , pp.62-81 , 2021 . View More

Award Type	Title	Year	Country	Description
International	ISS Fellowship	2009	Bangladesh	I was awarded the ISS fellowship that allowed me to cover the tuition fees of my PhD study at AIT. The selection was made by the Department of Women & Gender Studies, University of Dhaka & the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh.
International	AIT Research Fellowship	2009	Thailand	A research fellowship was awarded by AIT for pursuing my PhD study at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). It covered the cost of living in the university campus and the field work in Bangladesh.
National	M.Phil Fellowship	2002	Bangladesh	I achieved a fellowship from the University of Dhaka for pursuing M.Phil study in the Department Geography & Environment, University of Dhaka.
National	Board Scholarships	1994	Bangladesh	I achieved Prime Minister's Award and Govt. scholarship for outstanding results in the HSC and SSC exams held under Dhaka and Jessore board.

Name & designation Dr. Soma Dey Associate Professor

Department Department of Women and Gender Studies Faculty of Social Sciences

Email soma.dey@du.ac.bd

Phone 880-2-9661900