Ashhar Alam

In the narrow lanes of Purnia and the dusty settlements of Sitamarhi, stories of the quiet resilience of  Muslim women echo from every household amid the din of promises made by political parties to improve the lives of Bihar’s women as they seek votes for the second and final round of Assembly elections due on November 11.

“I left school after Class 6,” says Zahra, a 28-year-old mother of four from Purnia. “There was no toilet for girls, and the school was two kilometres away. My parents said I should help at home.”

In another village, Fatima, 32, recalls her experience: “When I was pregnant, the health centre was far, and I had to borrow money to reach the hospital.”

Meanwhile, Amina, 17, adjusts her dupatta as she speaks softly, “My sister was married at 16. I followed the same path. What choice did I have?”

These voices tell a shared story of systemic neglect of Muslim women of Bihar, the state which has seen the first phase of polling for the Assembly elections and is all set for

Muslim women’s population in Bihar is nearly 88 lakhs, yet their voices do not seem to matter.

This reporter spoke to women from some of the most deprived and backward areas of the state. Their stories reveal three major challenges -- poor access to healthcare, barriers to education and early marriage, and economic marginalisation – as key challenges in their lives.

For many Muslim women in Bihar, even basic healthcare remains out of reach. A study by the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) found that only 42% of Muslims in Bihar use government hospitals, and almost half of pregnant Muslim women said no ASHA or ANM worker visited them before delivery.

“During my pregnancy, the ASHA came only after I called her several times,” Fatima explains. “I gave birth at home because I couldn’t afford transport.”

Her experience is shared by many in the districts like Araria, Madhubani, and Katihar, where many Muslim families live, and clinics are few and far between. Poor infrastructure, distance, and restrictions on women’s movement make it hard to access healthcare.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) shows that over 60% of women in Bihar are anaemic, with Muslim-majority districts reporting some of the highest numbers.

Poverty, lack of medical outreach, and gender inequality together create a cycle of neglect, one that leaves women vulnerable to preventable health risks, often without any help.

The next barrier starts early at school. Despite several government schemes, the dropout rate among Muslim girls in Bihar remains high. A study by Patna College found that female literacy among Muslims is just 31.5%, far below the state average.

“I used to walk two kilometres to school,” Zahra recalls. “When I turned twelve, my parents worried about safety and asked me to stay home.”

For Amina, the story is similar. “After Class 8, there was no bus to school. My father said marriage was better than wasting time.”

Such decisions, often driven by fear or financial pressure, cut short girls’ education and trap them in early marriages. According to NFHS-5, nearly 40% of women aged 20–24 in Bihar were married before 18, one of the highest rates in India.

Education is more than just reading and writing; it opens the door to confidence, awareness, and independence. But for many Muslim girls in Bihar, that door is still half-shut, leaving them with few options and even fewer dreams.

Even outside the home, opportunities for Muslim women are scarce. They are among the least represented in formal jobs or self-help groups (SHGs). An ADRI report shows that only 8.8% of households under Bihar’s ‘Jeevika’ women’s livelihood program are Muslim, a striking gap considering Muslims make up nearly 17% of the population.

“I sell vegetables in the market,” says Fatima. “There’s no shade, no security. When it rains, I lose everything. If I fall sick, there’s no income at all.”

Most Muslim women work in informal jobs as domestic workers, farm labourers, or street vendors without social security or financial stability. Cultural restrictions, lack of access to training, and limited mobility make it harder to break this cycle.

“I wanted to join a self-help group,” says Zahra, “but the meeting time clashed with household work. My husband said it wasn’t necessary.”

Their contribution to the local economy remains invisible, even when they carry routine family responsibilities.

Some local interventions show that real change is possible when outreach meets empathy. Mobile health camps, female health volunteers from the same communities, catch-up education programs for adolescent girls, and market-linked skill training for women vendors have shown encouraging results.

In areas where NGOs worked with panchayats to identify out-of-school girls and connect them with government schemes, early marriage rates and school dropouts decreased noticeably.

They say solutions to these problems lie in strengthening maternal health outreach in minority areas, improving school infrastructure and safety for girls and creating women-led economic programs that offer credit, training, and market access.

Change for Muslim women in Bihar doesn’t require big promises, just consistent effort and genuine inclusion.

Author Ashhar Alam is a Communication Strategist