Women’s status in SL needs more discussion

The key findings and recommendations of the research conducted by the UN Women program on gender equality in Sri Lanka presented to the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus this week showed that there has been a regression in gender equality in Sri Lanka in the global context. While Sri Lanka was ranked 18th among 115 countries in 2006, it dropped to 130th among 148 countries in 2025.

The research conducted by United Nations Women (UN Women) on gender equality focused primarily on areas such as women’s economic empowerment, leadership in governance and decision-making, peace and security, and the prevention of violence against women and girls.

The report also revealed that although some of the most influential individuals in the region are women, significant inequality was identified when compared to men.

The report says what most Sri Lankan women and those in South Asia know. There is visibility of women in high places especially in the public sector in Sri Lanka, in higher education institutions, banks as well as some private sector establishments but women largely continue to play second fiddle to their male colleagues. It’s not only pay disparities but women have an uphill task trying to be taken seriously or being heard.

In addition to this, gender-based violence remains a problem and sexual harassment remains unaddressed. It is common knowledge women cannot walk in the streets or use public transport without being catcalled or having to confront unwelcome sexual overtures/gestures.

Sri Lankans often boast of having had the world’s first woman Prime Minister, which no doubt is a matter of pride to the country. Sri Lanka has since had other women leaders including current PM Harini Amarasuriya but in the fight for basic equality for women, there are still many challenges.

For one, Sri Lanka’s political sphere is woefully lacking in women. The few who make it have to weather many challenges including having to work doubly hard to be heard by their male colleagues.

The available statistics on the status of women in Sri Lanka illustrate that the country has a long way to go before women can come close to being on par in many fields with men.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) , out of the 8.5 million economically active population, 72% are males and only 35% are females, women constitute 52% of Sri Lanka’s population, but female representation in Parliament is only 5.3%, the labour force participation of women as of 2021 is 33.6% of the total population and according to the findings of the study conducted in 2019 by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 90% of Sri Lankan women and girls have faced sexual harassment in public buses and trains at least once in their lifetime.

One of the reasons that issues such as sexual harassment of women remain unaddressed is the failure to acknowledge there is such a problem. Instead what both men and women themselves do is live in denial that there are such issues and hence the problems are not confronted.

In the day of modern technology, women and girls are also the most affected by cyberbullying and new forms of harassment via social media, and telephones, etc. While there are attempts to educate the public, they are woefully inadequate with hardly any public educational programs/advertisements that send home a strong message that such actions would come with consequences.

Which is why while on one hand one can be proud as a nation that Sri Lankan women have become high achievers, not only locally but also internationally, there is a long way to go where the status of women in the country in general is concerned.

Being able to walk on the street, travel on public transport, go to a police station and lodge a complaint, all without being harassed or judged for their gender is what the country should strive for. Cosmetic changes may look pretty on the surface but the inside still remains largely rotten.