|
Women’s political representation:
Taking stock
Standing in the centre of the room, 52 year old K. Saradembol, a
frail and petite woman, showed no signs of nervousness as she performed
in front of the large audience gathered in a committee room in the
Parliament House near Colombo. It was certainly an unusual venue for a
theatrical performance.
To be fair, the event itself and the women that it celebrated were
quite unusual too.
|
Representation in provincial and local assemblies has remained
abysmally low, with about two percent of women members in
Provincial, Municipal and Divisional Councils. |
Saradembol’s performance was part of a national Consultative Dialogue
on ‘Enhanced Women’s Political Representations and Participation in
Decision Making held in Parliament on October 23 last year.
Part of a larger initiative to bring about equality of men and women
in decision-making roles, the event focused on the low participation
level of women in politics in the country.
Saradembol, is from the Badulla district. The current Area
Coordinator of hte United Planter’s Workers’ Union, she entered politics
nearly 22 years ago. Recalling some of the difficulties she faced, she
smiles ruefully, “No one had any confidence in me because I was a woman.
I received no support from the community or even my family and
colleagues at work. “She knows it is difficult for women to enter
political life for a variety of reasons including socio-economic
conditions, cultural prejudices and lack of adequate training.
This has been further exacerbated due to the lack of money and the
prevailing climate of political violence which has been a key factor in
discouraging women’s entry to politics.
Sri Lankan women have been enjoying the universal franchise since
1931 and equal participation in voting at elections under a democratic
system of governance for over seven decades. Sri Lanka also produced the
first woman Prime Minister in the world in 1960 and has a high level of
female literacy comparable to developed world. However women continue to
be under represented in political and public decision-making bodies.
The event also gave an opportunity to 25 grassroots women activists
and potential future leaders to share their experiences with women
parliamentarians, provincial councillors and members of the Electoral
Reforms Committee.
These women, from seven different districts, were part of a series of
workshops that focused on developing negotiation and leadership skills
in grassroots level women activists.
- UN News |
