newSRILANKA Team External Links 16 August 2009 45 views No Comment  Print This Post  Email This Post

Women have from time immemorial assumed the role of nurturers and caregivers. This is a role that they have performed abundantly well and we all know this from personal experience. Our mothers performed thus role well. This traditional responsibility notwithstanding, there have been many instances where women have changed the course of history through their leadership, their contribution to the arts, the sciences and politics. The historical figures of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt who fine tuned alliances with an empire to ensure the survival of her own country, Kuveni of Sri Lanka who contributed to the birth of a new nation, Queen Elizabeth I under whom England became an empire and Queen Victoria who consolidated the empire, Catharine the Great whose strategic skills were deployed to expand the Russian empire and Jhansi Rani naturally come to mind. During the times of these women empires were expanded, dynasties were built, economies flourished and nations stood up with pride. Queen Elizabeth I was renowned for her patronage of arts in addition to her encouragement of military exploits.

In more recent times leaders such as Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, Indira Gandhi of India, Golda Meir of Israel, Margaret Thatcher of England and Eva Peron of Argentina have come to be recognized as icons in world politics synonymous with power and influence.

Mahawamsa, the great Pali chronicle of Sri Lanka, narrates the prominent role played by Kuveni, a princess of the Yakshasa clan in planning and assisting Prince Vijaya to become the first historically documented King of Sri Lanka.

The fact that Sri Lanka gave the first woman Prime Minister to the world fills us with an immense sense of pride. At a time when the world was staring at an uncertain future under the impact of the cold war, Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s leadership facilitated Sri Lanka to be recognized internationally as a proactive proponent of a non-aligned foreign policy. Her skillful diplomacy resulted in the conclusion of the Sirima-Shastri Pact of 1964 that led to the settlement of the differences relating to stateless Tamils of Indian origin, a thorny issue in Indo-Lanka relations at the time. Her active participation in mediating the India-China border conflict during 1962 earned her unparalleled recognition in the international community. Mrs. Bandaranaike’s high profile leadership was an example to other women. She was also a key voice for peace during the Indo-Pakistan was in 1971.

Though, remarkable achievements in terms of progress of women have been witnessed over the last few decades, sadly it is estimated that 70% of those living in poverty worldwide today are women. The Chinese proverb that women hold half the sky has become more of an illusion than reality. The burden of holding up the sky seems to weigh more heavily on women. While women bear the brunt of poverty they are also among the most vulnerable before the major challenges facing the world today.

The situation of the Sri Lankan women however is in direct contrast to most developing countries. Women constitute 52% of Sri Lanka’s population and their contribution to Sri Lanka’s economy is significant. They constitute the majority in apparel industry, overseas employment and the tea industry, the three highest foreign exchange earning sectors overseas employment is not an industry. Need to use a different word in Sri Lanka. In this case they hold up more than half of our economic sky. In addition to their contribution to the economy and to development, Sri Lankan women have also excelled in all aspects of social activity. This is mainly attributable to Sri Lanka’s high rating in terms of education, health, low child and maternal mortality with their direct impact on women’s welfare and development.

The achievements relating to women were realised over the decades through the implementation of key policies. Sri Lanka’s success in achieving or approaching many of the Millennium Development Goals could be seen as evidence of the commitment by successive governments since independence towards health, education and other welfare sectors without gender discrimination. Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has vigorously pursued policies and administrative measures and enacted legislation for the protection and promotion of the rights of women. These measures included putting in place constitutional and legal safeguards to guarantee the equal protection of women and to provide them with equal opportunities. In 1981, Sri Lanka ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This was at a time when many developed countries have not done so.

The Gender Gap Report of 2008 of the World Economic Forum ranked Sri Lanka 12th among over 160 countries. It is noteworthy that the Gender Gap Index which took into account economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment and health and survival has placed Sri Lanka ahead of the rest of South Asia. We are ahead of some of the richest countries in the developed world.

Read more at LankaGuardian

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