In this article I describe the extent to which Bangladeshi women have taken advantage of the increased opportunities both to lead and manage educational institutions and to own them. I use data from government and informal sector educational institutions and interviews with female private school owners collected during fieldwork in Bangladesh. I discuss the factors that may militate against women taking advantage of developing opportunities particularly in the formal and private education sectors in Bangladesh.Adopting a critical feminist perspective and an awareness of sociological research relating cultural differences to educational leadership, I conclude by recommending methods of ensuring progress towards gender equity in educational leadership in the public and private education in Bangladesh. (Contains 5 tables.)