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Her work is never done

[A Second Look] AMONG many things that have grown since we gained independence is the female population. Statistics show that women constitute about 53 percent of the total population in the country, gradually outnumbering men since 1953 when women made up only 48 percent.

Key socio economic indicators such as the literacy rate would show that women not only grew in numbers but have improved their lives when it comes to education, health and employment.

So, one may assume that women in Sri Lanka have enough reason to celebrate rather than to protest on the 8th of March, the day dedicated to women globally.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is the role of women in decision-making. "Women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace," the Secretary General of the United Nations said recently.

So, our women can be proud of themselves as Sri Lanka has produced two women who led the decision making process since independence.

Does that mean our women have gained equality in all spheres of society. May be some fortunate women have but not the majority, specially those who are poor.

What have we got to learn from the history of international women's movement. International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

In 1909 the first National Women's Day was observed in the US on February 28. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York where women protested against working conditions.

It is true that America has not been able to produce a lady President so far. But the garment workers in Sri Lanka who are not so fortunate enough to form their trade unions can learn from that event in America how to influence the decision-making process to win their rights.

The fact that the girls who work in garment factories are discouraged from exercising a basic labour right is a good example that they don't enjoy equality.

A recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) study said that the number of female domestic servants is increasing in some countries.

All the governments in Sri Lanka since 1977 have only encouraged our women to go abroad and work as domestic servants under harsh working conditions.

Had there been equal opportunities for women to have access to better jobs locally many of them would not have chosen to work under such conditions.

Due to cultural reasons women in South India used to live in appalling conditions. It was that social inequality that was exploited by colonial rulers when they brought thousands of poor women to work in tea plantations here.

Today, they are among the minimum wage earners in Sri Lanka. They do not even have the equal opportunity of drinking the best quality tea made out of leaves they pluck.

Apparel, tea and foreign employment are major income earners for Sri Lanka. Women constitute the majority of the labor force in these sectors but their income is at the lowest level.

This clearly show that our women are far from achieving the objectives highlighted by this year's theme for the International Women's Day. The failure to achieve that is equally disadvantageous for men too.

The UN Secretary General said in his message for last year's women's Day: "Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is likely to raise economic productivity.

Whatever, the very real benefits of investing in women, the most important fact is women themselves have the right to live in dignity in freedom of want and fear."

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