Women's roles in rural Sri Lanka
Wickramasinghe, A.
Different places, different voices gender and development in Africa, Asia and Latin America: 159-175
1993
Document Number: 339226
This study, carried out in villages in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, evaluates the multiple tasks undertaken by women in both small-scale farm operations and the domestic sphere. Patterns of time allocation were studied over a period of one year in order to discern gender role differences. The analysis indicates a number of complexities which arise in promoting women's economic and social status in rural areas. Within small-scale agricultural operations in the dry zone, women's production activities are of vital importance, not only for better crop production but also for the survival of the peasant community. The division of labour in both agricultural production activities and in the household is partly a result of the acceptance of women's domesticity and femininity as a traditional norm. The double burden of work often discourages women from utilizing the opportunities available for acquiring a vocational training, holding leading positions in the community and engaging in income earning away from the family. In Sri Lanka, the goal of equal opportunities and equal status are largely submerged in the aim of improving the livelihood of the society in general. To improve the living conditions of rural women and integrate them into the development process, it is necessary to widen their training and employment opportunities, increase incomes and relieve women of the extremely heavy burden forced on them in the domestic sphere.