Feminising policymaking

Tuesday, 9 November 2010 23:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

INCREASED female participation in the workforce is a phenomenon that is here to stay. Considering that around 52% of Sri Lanka’s population are women, the contribution that they make to the economy can hardly be overstated. In this scenario it is important for policymakers to concentrate on measures that will empower women and consolidate their social and economic standing.

At a time when Sri Lanka is almost obsessively seeking to fast-track economic development, it is imperative that all stakeholders understand the importance of involving women in the process to contribute sustainability and inclusiveness.

At all levels of private and public enterprises around the country, the dedication of women is apparent. Their financial stability is driving the economy and female success stories abound through entrepreneurship. Sri Lankan women have joined in the march to fuel development along with their counterparts around the world.

As an article in this newspaper recently pointed out, a factor which reflects the importance of women in the economy is a study done by the House of Commons Library in Britain for the Fawcett Society, on the gender impact of the deep cuts in expenditure and increases in taxation announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in order to bring Britain’s humongous budget deficit under control.

It found that 72% of the reforms will take money away from women, while only 28% will do so from men. Others argue that as in the US, women in Britain came through the recession better off than men; two-thirds of those made unemployed by the crisis have been men. In Sri Lanka the policy makers have consistently unacknowledged the importance of empowering women in the development process and paving the way for them to become more than household limited.

The explosion of microfinance as a development tool and the 70% gender bias it has shown worldwide, including South Asia, is affecting the quality of life indicators positively, as studies have conclusively shown that women reinvest 90% of their income into community and family, housing, children’s health, education and nutrition, compared to 40% by men.

Moreover, with free education, women have managed to fill equal share of professional fields as well as make increased inroads to director boards in top companies. In the north and east, where there is a large number of single parent families or war widows as they are commonly referred to – around 40,000 in the Eastern Province and 120,000 in the north – connecting them to the larger economic process has become just good business sense.

Therefore, policy makers must beware of sidelining women in the empowerment process. As the adage correctly said, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” and in an increasingly competitive environment it must be all the more emphasised for women to be given their rightful due as the social and economic spearheads of the country.