“A feminist analysis of Sri Lanka’s ongoing Socio-Political crisis”

Sri Lanka has been suffering from a severe economic slowdown after the economic crisis, resulting in devastating food, fuel, and medical shortages, as well as skyrocketing prices for basic necessities. The present economic crisis has focused attention on major foreign exchange earning industries such as exports, tourism, and worker remittances, which were prompted by a dollar shortage resulting from a Balance of Payments imbalance. In general, it has become a huge social dilemma that oppresses communities everywhere in the countryside and has emerged political instability. From the Feminist perspective, the current economic, social, and political crisis can be expressed in two main areas.

The first is to identify the reasons behind the crisis, which have been influenced by the remaining male domination in the country, and the second is to inquire about the impact on every oppressed party, including women, who are affected by the crisis. This writing focuses on these two phases. Apparently, it seems that Political instability, short sight vision, and economic mismanagement have become the main causes behind the crisis. Since its independence, Sri Lanka as an autonomous country has been ruled by different politicians adhering the diverse socio-economic perspectives. The majority of these rulers are male, which thoroughly established the patriarchal characteristics in every institution, stage, and key role and position. “When concern about women’s presence in political organizations and institutions as well as in elected offices has been extremely limited in Sri Lanka. According to the Global Gender Gap Index of 2021, Sri Lanka ranks 116 out of the 150 countries observed and 90 in terms of political empowerment of women.  This negative trend is also reflected in the world classification published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union where Sri Lanka ranked 178 out of 184 countries in women’s participation in politics in 2021. At the regional level, Sri Lanka falls far behind other South Asian countries in terms of women’s parliamentary representation, including Bangladesh (98th place), Nepal (43rd), India (146th) and Pakistan (106th). These have implemented women’s quotas at the parliamentary level” (Improving women’s political participation in Sri Lanka, 2021).

It would be important to answer these questions through feminist interpretations. Following the conflict perspectives, Fredric Engels argued that capitalism intensifies patriarchy – men’s domination over women – by concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a small number of men (Giddens, 2010: 616). This also indicates the unequal distribution of the gender role at the administrative level, in such a situation the functioning of economic and political authority is almost entirely the work of men and their tough and uncertain decisions have contributed to this crisis. For example, reducing the tax collection decisions and a sudden ban on chemical fertilizers without proper study, etc. had drastic effects on the economy in the country that had only male decisions.   Thus, if gender equality is available in every organization and institution, it would be full of cohesive and interconnected. Several research suggests that companies with more women executives had better financial performance (i.e., Catalyst, 2004; Dezso & Ross, 2012) has further spurred interest in women’s potential advantages as leaders.  Yet some authors (i.e., Book, 2000; Helgesen, 1995; Wilson, 2004) have argued that women may, in fact, be better leaders than men (Offermann, L. and Foley, K. O., 2020). In a male-dominated society, rulers only focused on just one aspect when they are engaging in decision-making. This may be the reason for to emerge the crisis.

The consequences of the Social and Political crisis have affected every social group regardless of the diversity of the society. But concerns about the feminist perspective, it has greatly affected women in a different way including female roles and characteristics. The traditional role of women in Sri Lanka is totally in line with conventional beliefs and attitudes. These attitudes mostly are being performed in every social institution, the majority in the family.  According to the functionalist perspective, the functionalist sociologist Talcott parson has described women are playing an emotional role in the family, while men are an instrumental role (Parsons, 1951). In terms of the emotional role, women have become the facilitator of the nutrition, love, and care to the family, she is performing an essential role to make meals for the family and fill other primary needs such as water, fuel which men cannot easily buy from the market.  Due to the prevailing energy and high prices of daily essentials goods, most women have to hardly fulfill their family’s daily needs, amidst Some women are unable to fulfill even their children’s minimum nutrition.

In Additional, working women have become the highest vulnerable group in this situation.  the majority of Women’s labor in Sri Lanka leads in the export industry, which includes Apparel, tea, and rubber, but they are unable to attend working premises because the majority of them have to wait in the queue seeking kerosene or other daily fuel to maintain their daily life. Subsequently, Sri Lankan women working as domestic laborers in West Asian nations, frequently in exploitative working circumstances, account for a large portion of worker remittances from overseas. Even though they have worked under the minimum wages, they cannot earn benefits from their salary because of the undervalue of the rupees in the other currency.

Finally, There is every citizen in Sri Lanka is oppressed due to the prevailing political and social crisis, but the majority of women are being suffered under the minimum resources. Having engaged in unpaid work at the family, or performing as working women, they are severely influenced by the economic crisis. In accordance with the feminist perspective this crisis cannot recover within a short time period, However, expanding of the economic subsidies, facilitating food among the poorer, and enriching the health sector with essentials are vital in the current situation as short-term solutions. Further, it much needs to address the long-term solution by removing discrimination and eliminating unequal distribution of key positions, and administrative roles among the skillful person including women. In addition, the government should be based on an export orientation economy, which has a more equal opportunity for both genders, rather than an import-dependent economy, we can learn many lessons from some female-ruled countries like New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, etc. they are smoothly running without many obstacles in front of the Economic crisis. Sri Lanka can learn much of lessons from those ideologies in order to find a better solution to the CRISIS.

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Dr. H. P. K. N. Hewawasam
Senior Lecturer
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Reference

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Image Courtesy – Protesters carrying the Sri Lanka flag march in the Galle Face Green area of Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 17, 2022. (Atul Loke/The New York Times)