 Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world's first female prime minister, she was democratically elected in Sri Lanka in 1960. | |
| General statistics | |
|---|---|
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 36 (2017)[1] |
| Women in parliament | 5% (2021)[2] |
| Women over 25 withsecondary education | 99% (2010)[3] |
| Women in labour force | 34.1% (2014)[4] |
| Gender Inequality Index[5] | |
| Value | 0.383 (2021) |
| Rank | 90th out of 162 |
| Global Gender Gap Index[6] | |
| Value | 0.670 (2022) |
| Rank | 110th out of 146 |
Women in Sri Lanka make up to 52.09% of the population according to the 2012 census of Sri Lanka.[7] Sri Lankan women have contributed greatly to the country's development, in many areas. Historically, a masculine bias has dominatedSri Lankan culture, although woman have beenallowed to vote in elections since1931.[8] Although Sri Lanka has been tremendously successful in achieving greater gender parity, women still suffer a lower status compared with men.[9]
Over two millennia ago,Sinhala women mostly of royal and noble rank enjoyed certain individual liberties and social opportunities approximating to that of equality with men. Sinhala women participated with men in many public matters, enjoyed an independent status as women, as mothers, and had an identity in private and public life, and the freedom to choose one's way of life. After the establishment ofBuddhism, they made another progressive move, to renounce lay life and seek ordination. The effective strides they made socially, culturally, and politically from about 300 B.C. in the little island of Sinhala could be primarily attributed to Buddhist tenets and the Buddhist ethos. Women to a large degree were beneficiaries of this great humanism. Historical evidence suggests that there had been six queens ruling the island in the past. From infamousQueen Anula (47 BC – 42 BC) toDon Katharina (Kusumasana Devi) (1581) who ruled the country from Kandy.Queen Leelawati (1197–1212) the wife ofKing Parakramabahu (1153–1186), was the fourth queen of the island o Sri Lanka. She ruled the country from the secondKingdom Polonnaruwa of Sri Lanka.[10]
The women's movement organized on Sri Lanka under theCeylon Women's Union in 1904, and from 1925, theMallika Kulangana Samitiya and then theWomen's Franchise Union (WFU) successfully campaigned for the introduction of women's suffrage, which was achieved in 1931.[11]
The role of women in Sri Lankan society is a topic that has been debated and fought over for several centuries. During theBritish colonial period, for example, a significant strand of nationalist, anticolonial agitation centred on the role and status of Ceylon women, both within and outside the home. In the transition years following colonial rule, Sri Lankan policymakers introduced a social policy package offree health andeducation services and subsidized food, which dramatically improved women's quality of life.[12] Compared to the rest ofSouth Asian countries, Sri Lankan woman have a highlife expectancy (80 years), high literacy, and access to economic opportunities.[13]
| Year | Males (million) | Females (million) | Total (million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.18 | 4.69 | 9.87 |
| 1970 | 6.44 | 6.05 | 12.49 |
| 1980 | 7.68 | 7.36 | 15.04 |
| 1990 | 8.76 | 8.57 | 17.33 |
| 2000 | 9.38 | 9.40 | 18.78 |
| 2010 | 9.87 | 10.39 | 20.26 |
| 2020 | 10.50 | 11.42 | 21.92 |
Expertagriculture and largely feminized labour forces in South Asia has expanded significantly in the last three decades. Men are twice as likely as women to be employed in Sri Lanka. (30-35%) The country's female labour force participation is lower than that of its regional neighbours likeNepal,China andBangladesh. In fact, Sri Lanka has the 20th largestgender gap in labour force participation in the world. According to study, Sri Lanka could add 14% (US$20 billion) to its annualGDP by 2025 by increasing femalelabour force participation and the number of paid hours women work, as well as by adding women to higher productivity sectors. After India, this is the largest relative gain projected for theAsia-Pacific region. In the context of expected sovereign debt default where access to capital markets and multilateral loans will close-off government spending will fall economic gains of this scale cannot be ignored. In 2017, out of the 8.5 million females who were 15 years and above, only 3.1 million females were in the labour force, while only 2.9 million were employed. Out of this, as many as 1.5 million women were working in theinformal sector.[14]
Women have served in theParliament ofSri Lanka since 1931 and have held high positions in Parliament and thecabinet. Three women have becomePrime Minister.Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first femalehead of government on 21 July 1960. Her daughter,Chandrika Kumaratunga, was president of Sri Lanka's from 1994 to 2005.
Two in five women in Sri Lanka have facedviolence by a partner in their lifetime, a government survey found.[15] Psychological violence at the hands of a partner, that involves emotional abuse or controlling a women's behaviour was recorded at 27.9%, the highest among all forms of violence past decade. Physical violence mostly experienced while their partners weredrunk also prevailed mostly in the estate region, followed by the rural and urban areas respectively, according to the report. It outlined startling details which showed that the kids of most affected mothers were reported to have experienced nightmares, while 4.5% had dropped out of school. Women between 15 and 34 years were more prone to all forms of violence.[16] 5,891 of child abuse cases were reported in the country from 2012 to 2020. According to the UN, 90% of women in Sri Lanka have experienced sexual harassment in public transport.[17]
The age of consent in Sri Lanka is 16 thatchildren below the age of sixteen are not considered able to give consent, thus, a person engaging in sexual relations with someone age 16 or under is recognised as having committedstatutory rape.[18] Statutory rape cases increase 35%, in 2021, compared to 2020, the performance report of theSri Lanka Police for the year 2021 reveals. About 1,016 cases were reported in 2020 and in 2021 the number if reported incidents increased to 361.[19]
| Year[20] | Rape | Sexual Abuse | Child Abuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,728 | 674 | 863 |
| 2013 | 1,637 | 692 | 735 |
| 2014 | 1,565 | 624 | 772 |
| 2015 | 1,557 | 661 | 830 |
| 2016 | 1,565 | 562 | 800 |
| 2017 | 1,304 | 508 | 661 |
| 2018 | 1,284 | 520 | 755 |
| 2019 | 1,280 | 544 | 601 |
| 2020 | 1,016 | ||
| 2021 | 1,377 |
The internationally preferred age for marriage is 18 years for both boys and girls. Sri Lanka and Nepal are the only countries in South Asia that have specified a minimum age of 18 at which both boys and girls can legally marry.Child marriage is rare in Sri Lanka, child marriages account for 2% of the marriages on the island. That 2% however, is the result of the drawn-outcivil war and unfortified laws.[21]
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