When I asked a group of women what their profession was, every single one of them said: “I am a homemaker.” But anyone who has seen them working knows the truth. They spend hours every day in the fields. When I asked if they ever went to the field to work, they told me about weeding, watering, harvesting, and threshing …

In a small village in Botiaghata, Khulna, Sanchita Bishwas described with pride the plots she now manages. “Watermelon grows across the land, bitter gourd frames the borders, and rui fish swim in the pond beside it,” she told me, a smile lighting up her face. It was her own way of making the most of what little she has. Her …