As a native Bangladeshi, I belong to a social context where gender inequality and genderbased violence are regular phenomena as reflected in USAID’s report of 82% of married women
experiencing physical and sexual violence by their partners. The COVID-19 situation further
increased the rate of domestic violence in the country. In my experience, I saw my female
colleagues barely having decision-making power about their career choice. I have seen my aunt; a
highly educated woman gives up her career for the sake of saving her marriage. She has been
married for 22 years, not a day goes by she gets beaten up by her husband. My motivation to bring
about an effective and sustainable change in this scenario makes me passionate about this master’s
program.
I am writing this statement to express my interest in the master’s program in Global
Development Theory and Practice (GLODE) at the University of Bergen, which will enable me to
learn about the field of the global development process at both policy and academic levels. I am
particularly interested in this program because it offers a specialization in Gender. I am also
fascinated by the opportunity for hands-on experience through the internship.
During my undergraduate program in International Relations, I had a course “Gender and
IR” which introduced me to some core concepts such as Feminism, Masculinity, Rape, CEDAW,
and UNSCR-1325. Currently, in my master’s degree in Peace, Conflict, and Human Rights
Studies, I learned deeply about the role of gender both in the development sector and in promoting
and protecting human rights and peace in society. Additional knowledge through my postgraduate
coursework on specific topics such as intersectionality, empowerment, gender-based violence,
women’s role in security, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and good governance has intrigued me to
work in this sector. Besides, my personal quality of adaptivity, good communication, and a helping
attitude enable me to advocate for gender and global development.
I wish to pursue my career in a certain organization that protects women's rights and
promotes gender equality and empowerment. In long run I see myself working with the
government at the policy level, transferring the idea of equity to the root level and reviving women
from these grotesque living conditions. This 2-year course, linking gender to social and political
development, would help me genuinely to pursue my dream.
To conclude, I believe my academic experience, my willingness to contribute to the gender
issue, and my personal qualities such as leadership and sociability make me an ideal candidate for
this postgraduate program and allow me to contribute to