Bridging the gender gap

Friday, 20 November 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka’s gender gap increased over the last year and gender equality ranking declined from 79 in 2014 to 84 this year out of 145 countries, due to continued lack of female participation in politics and labour force. In South Asia Bangladesh managed to outrank Sri Lanka by 20 places.

The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2015 showed that Sri Lanka has been slipping from its privileged position in the top 20 since 2010. Sri Lanka fell from closing 74.6% of the gender gap in 2010 to 68.6% this year. This is largely due to Government policies failing to be progressive and Sri Lanka continuing to rest on its laurels on providing good healthcare and education. As important as these elements are they do not translate to complete social equality. The gap has had significant impact on the country’s labour force where despite being the majority of the population they are still behind in formal employment.

Women seeking employment are challenged by the lack of space in the formal sector. Despite high numbers of qualified women, especially at university level where an estimated 60% of graduates are female, entrance to the formal workforce remains understated. Currently, about 35% of Sri Lanka’s workforce comprises of women, with the largest contribution coming from the agricultural sector.

Local employment opportunities for women are also stymied by weak regulations that do not provide flexible work hours and other perks such as paternity leave, which are standard in other countries. Large numbers of women who remain in the informal workforce also have limited chance to access bank accounts and other avenues of financial inclusivity.

According to the Department of Census and Statistics, the estimated economically-active population of Sri Lanka was about 8.9 million in the first quarter 2015, of which 63.3% are males and 36.7% are females. Within the economically-inactive population, which also comprises everyone involved in household duties, the disequilibrium is even starker with 25.9% being males and 74.1% females.

Looking at female labour force participation rates around the world, this suggests that there is a large untapped reservoir of female manpower that could be utilised for the development of the country, while empowering women and benefitting society as a whole. But such an effort requires a huge adjustment from employers and female employees alike.

The female unemployment rate in Sri Lanka is over two-and-a-half times that of the male rate, and almost twice the national figure. According to Government data, only 2.9% of men entering the labour market remain unemployed, while the corresponding figure for women is 7.2%. The national unemployment rate is 4.2% making it clear impediments exist for women to enter the job market.

The same Government figures indicate that education and skills do not necessarily help females secure employment – on the contrary, they could result in a lifetime of frustrations. Currently, the single largest employer of women is the agricultural sector at 33.9%, while the services sector employs around 42% of women, while industries employ around 24%.

If Sri Lanka wants to perform better and bridge the gender gap, then it also has to consider understand and address issues that move beyond healthcare and education. An upgrade appears to be the order of the day.