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| Sunday, 10 July 2005 |
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Editorial
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World Population Day falls tomorrow : Making sense of gender equality by Lionel Wijesiri Tomorrow is World Population Day. This year's theme is 'Equality empowers'.
Executive Director UNFPA Thoraya Ahmed Obaid issuing a statement on the occasion says: "The world can do better. The solutions are well-known. They include universal education for all girls and boys, the removal of barriers to women's equal participation in social, cultural, economic and political life ..." In other words, it means empowering gender equality. In my opinion, gender equality, is about justice. Gender equality is about, among other things, the equal distribution of power and the right to influence, the equal sharing of responsibilities and burdens, the equal rewarding of effort and work, and the right to a life free from assault and violence. The empowerment of women is often a major element of gender and development initiatives. This can be a sensitive topic, depending on the social and cultural contexts. It is important to recognise that empowerment may have as its ultimate goal gender equality but not necessarily equity. The goal is not to make men and women the same, but to allow both sexes equal opportunities and to ensure women's rights. If we talk about Sri Lanka, our women do have equal rights in the General Law but discriminatory provisions still exist in varying degrees in the family law of each community pertaining to areas such as marriage, divorce, property and financial transactions. For example, our women are denied equal rights to land in state-assisted settlements. Our Labour legislation conforms to internationl practice but enforcement is relatively weak, and workers in the informal sector, a substantial proportion of whom are women, are outside the ambit of labour laws. The amendments to the Penal Code in 1995 expanded the scope of legislation to counter gender-based violence, but gaps exist. However, Sri Lankan women have a comparatively better status than women in many other developing countries but have yet to achieve gender equality and empowerment in consonance with international norms. The sociology experts quote a number of reasons for this disparity: slow economic growth and consequent persistent poverty among segments of the population, armed conflict, and gendered social norms. According to the Human Development Report, Sri Lanka's Gender Development Index (GDI) in 2004 was 0.737 as compared with the Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.741 but the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) was only 0.274. It has been noticed that in contrast to the education (and health sectors), our labour market shows wide gender inequalities. We must remember that labour is the main asset of the poor and the access to an independent source of income, most often through employment, promotes economic empowerment. That is why it is necessary for the Government to study closely the relative position of women and men in the labour market and take necessary action. Statistics The majority of women workers are in the informal sector, which according to the Central Bank Survey in 2003/2004 accounts for the largest share of the employed. The labour force participation statistics indicate, 39.8 per cent female participation in 1990 has dropped to 32.5 per cent in 2002. The percentage of women in the total labour force declined from 32.8 per cent in 1990 to 30 per cent in 1995 and increased again to 33.4 per cent in 2002. The decline in the rates from 1990 to 1995 has been in the rural sector, and while factors that contributed to this decline have not been identified clearly, there is little doubt that global economic recession and the consequent closure of rural garment factories have endangered the women's niche in the manufacturing industry. It is also interesting to note that female unemployment rates have continued to be double, as opposed to those of men for 3 decades, irrespective of whether unemployment increased or declined. Age-wise, there is a wide gender gap in unemployment rates in the 20-29 age group. This problem then leads us to another correlated problem: The unfair female representation in the National and Provincial elected bodies. We have over 75 years' experience in democratic governance but yet the percentage of women in Parliament and in local bodies has always been very low. In the national legislature, there has never been more than 5 per cent of women. Cabinets have usually one or two women Ministers with a few other women Ministers in lesser positions. Representation in provincial and local assemblies has been unacceptably low. Provincial Councils have around 2 per cent women members and one Minister. Municipal Councils and Pradeshiya Councils have around the same proportion of women. The analysts attribute the major factors behind the low participation to be the gendered norm of male leadership; time constraints as women already combine employment, domestic tasks and childcare; lack of adequate financial resources; and the pravailing climate of political violence. On the other hand, political parties have made little effort to groom women members for election to assemblies. Evolution If we study carefully the evolution of overall status of women in Sri Lanka, it becomes obvious that it reflects a unique mix of advances and setbacks. The evolution of the national machinery for empowerment of women could be traced from 1978 with the setting up of Women's Bureau of Sri Lanka. In 1983 the unit was entrusted to a woman cabinet Minister. In 1989, the Government assigned the national machinery to a woman cabinet minister holding the portfolio of "Health and Women's Affairs" and a separate State Minister (Deputy) was also appointed. In 1993, Women's Charter that spelled out the core Sri Lanka standards for Women's Rights was approved. The provisions of the Women's Charter clarified the National Mandate and provided for the establishment of an additional mechanism for monitoring and promoting the rights of women in Sri Lanka. Accordingly in August 1993, the National Committee on Women was appointed. In 1997 full Ministerial status to the subject of Women's Affairs was granted. Better infrastructure facilities and equipment via the UNDP Project strengthened its physical resources. The present Government has been following up pledges given in 'Vanitha Dirimaga'. The Prime Minister appointed a National Level Steering Committee on Gender-Equity headed by the Ministry of Women's Affairs Secretary in January 2003 to monitor the implementation of the priority actions. Constraints The Government has clearly understood the constraints they are facing in making gender equality a reality. At national level, the resources are not enough and there is also a shortage of professional experts. Another challenge often faced at all levels is the difficulty to break through the misconception that welfare measures alone rectify the inequities between women and men. Hence, empowerment initiatives are not widely accepted or encouraged. Gender equality contributes substantially to improving the well-being of
women, and men in our country. Although important progress has been made in
recent years toward achieving gender equality, much remains to be done. Let
us remain committed to creating a better country for all - a country where
inequality on any grounds, be it gender, class, race or ethnicity, is
finally overcome. |
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