Gender equality: a cornerstone of development

by Lionel WIJESIRI

The seven- billionth child of the world gave birth on 31st October. With this historical event, it may be an opportune moment for us in Sri Lanka to look back and evaluate whether we have succeeded in addressing our basic population issues.

One such issue is the gender equality. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2010, Sri Lanka stands at 16th place in the world's gender equality rankings.

The Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and the political empowerment. We were ahead of France (18), Australia (20) and U.S.A. (31). We can be proud of our achievement. But, does this means, that Sri Lankan women hold more equal position at the workplace than men?

Growing demand

Women in Sri Lanka have struggled and have overcome endless conflict and controversy throughout history. Since the early 20th century they have been coordinating to establish a valid role in society for equality and justice. In the beginning, they were only seen as uneducated people, homemakers, and cleaners, dependent on their husbands and were not welcome into the job market. The women who managed to get into the workforce, however, faced many challenges.

They were paid much less than the men were paid. Sexual harassment, inequality, discrimination and prejudice were few of the issues they had to face.

With the introduction of trade liberalisation, Sri Lanka has seen a growing demand for women's labour.

When brute strength mattered more than brains, men had an inherent advantage. Now that brainpower has triumphed the two sexes are more evenly matched.

The feminization of the workforce has been driven by the relentless rise of the service sector (where women can compete as well as men) and the equally relentless decline of manufacturing (where they could not).

Demand has been matched by supply: women are increasingly willing and able to work outside the home. Improved technology reduced the amount of time needed for the traditional female work of cleaning and cooking. It has also increased their incentives to invest time and effort in acquiring skills, particularly slow-burning skills that are hard to learn and take many years to pay off.

The expansion of higher education has also boosted job prospects for women, improving their value on the job market and shifting their role models from stay-at-home mothers to successful professional women. The best-educated women have always been more likely than other women to work, even after having children.

It is important to recognize that women have put many issues on to the bargaining table and have gained rights they truly deserve.

However, the sad fact of the story is, in spite of women accounting for almost half of the working population; they were still unequal to their male colleagues. Today, women account for only slightly over 30% of the workforce. It is indeed a sad affair.

Women's organisations have been at the forefront of efforts to define gender issues and gender equality strategies.

They are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using pressure to promote law reform and policy changes and to hold government accountable for the commitments. Many women's organisations are also seeking to understand and respond to the complex inter-connections between gender and nationality, tradition and religion.

It remains a struggle for women's organisations to make their voices heard by the mainstream media and influential institutions.

And, what about men?

Although this is often overlooked, gender is an aspect of the social identity of men as well as women. Just as there are cultural norms and expectations about women's roles, there are also cultural norms and expectations of men as leaders, husbands, sons that shape their behaviours and opportunities. Aspects of gender expectations may have costs and disadvantages for men.

Government and Development agencies are beginning to realize the importance of involving men in initiatives for gender equality.

In some cases, this has been motivated by resistance from men when they were not informed of the wider benefits of women-specific initiatives. Other initiatives pursue the more ambitious objective of engaging men in promoting equality. Certain initiatives related to reproductive health have been particularly innovative in involving men in exploring the links between inequality and the well-being of families and communities.

Finnish experience

When it comes to Gender Equality, we can learn a fair deal from Finland, who ranks as No 3 in the Global Gender Gap Report (2010).

In the Finnish Parliament, among the female parliamentarians, there is a Network of Women Parliamentarians, which deals as an informal network of women crossing the strict party political lines and formalities and acts as a forum for open discussions on issues that are important for women.

The chair of the network rotates among the political parties. Equality issues fall within the scope of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Finland.

The Ministry has three independent bodies working for the promotion of equality between women and men, the Gender Equality Unit, the Ombudsman for Equality and the Council of Equality.

The Gender Equality Unit prepares the government's gender equality policy.

The specific duties of the unit include: (1) drafting and developing the Governments gender equality policy in collaboration with other ministries, (2) tasks related to the main streaming of gender equality, (3) tasks related to the EUs equality law and policy and (4) tasks related to international affairs.

The Ombudsman for Gender Equality operates as an independent authority supervising the implementation of the relevant legislation and attending to the tasks assigned to the Ombudsman by the law. He/she supervises compliance with the Act on Equality between Women and Men, in particular the prohibition on discrimination and discriminatory job advertising and (1) promotes the purposes of the Equality Act by means of initiatives, advice and counselling, (2) gives information about the Equality Act and its application and (3) Monitors the implementation of equality between women and men in various sectors of society.The Ombudsman may asist persons discriminated against in safeguarding their rights.

He/ she can be requested to issue an opinion on whether discrimination has occurred in a given case or give advice regarding equality planning and application of the quota provision.

The Ombudsman, with the assistance from his/her Office, can initiate action and give advice, instructions and prepare statements for cases in contravention of the Equality Act.

The Ombudsman has a wide authority to gain information both from authorities and employers and private people, along with the additional right to inspect workplaces if the employer appears to have acted against the Act on Equality or its obligations.

The Ombudsman may assist a person who has been subjected to discrimination in the protection of his/her rights, if necessary, to assist the said person in judicial proceedings relating to indemnification or compensation, if the Ombudsman considers the matter to be of considerable importance with regard to the application of the Equality.

The decisions of the Ombudsman are legally binding.The Government nominates the Equality Board members who serve for a period of three years. The Equality Board consists of a chairperson and four members.

The Ombudsman presents the cases to the Board. The Equality board can give comments to the courts, which can request a comment from the Board in cases related to gender discrimination and demand compensation.

The tasks of the Council of Equality focus on the overall promotion of gender equality in the Finnish society. The Council serves as an active societal discussion forum in the field of equality policy and promotes gender equality, i.e., by taking initiatives and issuing opinions.

It engages in equality discussions with authorities, public and municipal institutions, labour market organizations and other partners.

Representatives of the National Council of Women in Finland and the Coalition of Finnish Women's Association for Joint Action (NYTKIS) take part in the Councils activities as permanent expert members.

Equality between women and men is a crucial part of any welfare state model. The objective is that women and men should have equal rights, obligations and opportunities in all fields of life.

It is widely acknowledged that society can progress in a more positive and democratic direction when the competence, knowledge, experience and values of both women and men are allowed to influence and enrich the development. This is a vital point Sri Lanka should always keep in mind.