Ceylon Today Editorial

Economic context issues women face

08 March 2017

International Women's Day 2017 is celebrated on 8 March on the theme "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030". This explores the issues faced by women in the economic context in a globalized setting. Exactly one year ago on this day, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva was invited as a guest speaker for a Women's Day celebratory event.

During his speech, he stated that 65% of women are eligible to work, yet choose not to do so, and added that more women go on to achieve a higher education. He raised the question as to whether it is necessary to provide higher education, if women are not willing to work and make an economic return from the education they have garnered.

Although, Dr. de Silva was emphasizing the need to encourage women to reach their highest potential career wise, the matter of women's lack of contribution to the economy cannot be ignored. First and foremost, it is important to understand that Sri Lankan women are the most educated in Asia, but their contribution to the economy is merely 33.4%.

Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey (LFS) done in the first quarter of 2015, showed that 3,274,026 women reflected by 36.7% were economically active, as opposed to men in the same category amounting to 5,650,690 reflected by 63.3%. On the other hand, 1,997,581 reflected by 25.9% were economically inactive as opposed to 5,726,514 women reflected by 74.1%. These statistics show a great margin between women's economic contribution as opposed to men.

However, when these statistics are analyzed more critically it can be said that although Sri Lanka has more educated women, their contribution to the economy is not measured in fiscal terms. As such their contribution is not valued. It is evident that these women fall in to the category of unpaid workers.

However, in Sri Lanka for women to achieve economic empowerment is nothing but a distant pipedream. Achieving multifaceted empowerment is essential to successfully achieve economic environment. Recently a nationwide study commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) it was revealed that 90 per cent of women and girls in Sri Lanka have been victim to sexual harassment on public buses and trains. The study indicated that only four per cent reported these incidents to the Police.

Sexual harassment, in public places, workplaces and universities is rampant; can only be curtailed through effective legal safeguards. What can be ascertained by the UNPF study is that women do not have faith in the justice system or the Police. This is also a reason for the economic failure of women. In a pragmatic setting, most Sri Lankan women use public transport to reach their work places. There are many women who had quit their jobs so that they can escape the harassment they face in public transport.

World Bank Group's Women, Business and the Law 2016 report in a study on women's employment and entrepreneurship revealed that discrimination against females in Sri Lanka is persistent. It is an empty consolation to note that it is not as bad as in other South Asian economies as reflected in the report. Legal discrimination, which can affect female labour force participation, is also prevalent in Sri Lanka. Women are prohibited from working in the mining sector and restricted from certain tasks and functions in factories, the report indicated, and observed that there are no laws against gender-based discrimination in hiring or access to credit.

This report also analyzes the manner in which laws, regulations and institutions differentiate between women and men in ways that affect women's incentives, capacity to work or to set up and operate a business.

In the light of above, it is imperative to revisit President Sirisena's pledge to women which refers to curbing violence and sexual harassment, which promises to, create an effective system of law enforcement that addresses the mounting sexual offences – including rape, sexual abuse and harassment – against both women and children regardless of the perpetrators' influence, position or political power.

In 2016, Verité indicated that the government did not make any progress with regard to implementing legal safeguards to women in order to ensure a safer environment for them to live in. However, Sri Lanka has taken part in many conferences pertaining to women and violence. In March last year, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Chandrani Bandara attended a bilateral meeting between US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, US Department of State, Catherine Russell and Chandrani Bandara took place on 17 March 2016 at the Sri Lanka Mission premises in New York, on the sidelines of the sixtieth Commission for the Status of Women, where matters of mutual interest, including the empowerment of women and girls were discussed.

Last November a National Action Plan to address Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) was officially launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This National Action Plan was developed on the vision of creating 'a violence free life for women and children' with Zero Tolerance for Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Sri Lanka. This is rendered important as it was devised using a multi-sectoral approach with engagement from key ministries representing nine sectors. The National Action Plan is also part of a project under the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, supported by UNDP's Strengthening Enforcement of Law, Access to Justice and Social Integration (SELAJSI) Programme.

These aspects, at present remain the only elements of progress pertaining to President Sirisena's pledge to create law enforcement to prevent sexual violence.

To date, not a single legislative measure or policy has been introduced in order to reinforce legal safeguards to protect women.

The trials and tribulations a woman faces in society imbibed with patriarchy is horrendous. How can a woman be economically empowered if her place of work is not a conducive environment to work in?