Define “catching up”

Humour is a double-edged sword. Popular US TV host Stephen Colbert’s statement that America is “catching up” with 1960s Sri Lanka after the nomination of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the upcoming presidential elections was widely shared on press and social media platforms. But it belies a darker story about female political representation in Sri Lanka.  

Colbert was of course referring to Sri Lanka electing the world’s first female Prime Minister in 1960, an act that put it ahead of the rest of the world, but failed to bring a larger wave of women into politics. In fact over successive decades patriarchal politics has not only continued to rule Sri Lanka, it has effectively limited political posts to women other than those from elite political families. Hardly any women have managed to break this barrier and establish themselves as credible and clean career politicians who stand for feminist principles to encourage wider discourse and acceptance of women politicians.

Decades of side-lining women in politics has resulted in Colbert’s humorous statement having a darker note for Sri Lankans. Inter-Parliamentary Union data shows, Sri Lanka with just 13 women in Parliament or 5.8% representation ranks 175th out of 185 countries. Not only does Sri Lanka have just 13 women to represent 52% of its population, females also represent only 4.1% of seats in the Provincial Councils (PC), and 2.3% of seats in the Local Government (LG) bodies. Even though the US is yet to elect a female resident for the record, it has nonetheless managed to hold onto the 96th position with 84 women in 434 seats or 19.4% in Congress and a further 20% representation in the Senate. 

Rwanda has the highest representation of women in Parliament with 63.8%, followed by Bolivia with 53% and Cuba with 49%. Both Senegal and South Africa have over 40% representation in Parliament. In the South Asian region, women’s representation in Parliament was: Nepal 29.5% (47th), Afghanistan 27.7% (50th), Pakistan 20.6% (83rd), Bangladesh 20% (87th), India 12% (141), Bhutan 8.5% (163rd) and Maldives 5.9% (173rd). These statics shows female representation in Sri Lanka is the lowest in a region that also lags behind the rest of the world on this particular issue, with percentages remaining largely unchanged over the years.

Most parties have large women’s wings but these function only to promote male candidates. Women who are genuinely interested in pursuing politics do not have their ambitions promoted through these organisations. Ironically, women have to vote overwhelmingly for candidates or parties to gain a clear majority but are rarely given the chance to represent themselves.

Of course, social attitudes, limited resources and entrenched political systems all play a role. However, in a country that has high numbers of intelligent, qualified and ambitious professionals, continued distance from the political sphere is a recipe for disaster. With few women in Parliament, it is almost impossible to make their voices heard when legislation is passed, but results are overwhelmingly felt by women. To make matters worse, women parliamentarians make no effort to promote female representation, often falling in line with entrenched practices that promote social stereotypes. They are more a part of the problem than the solution.

The Government earlier this year passed legislation making it mandatory for parties to nominate 25% of women in local government and provincial elections, but without a quota system to back it up, there is no guarantee women will be empowered to break this glass ceiling.