International Women’s Day

Lived and re-lived:

Neetha S. Rathnapala

Drink to me only

with thine eyes

And I will pledge with mine

Or leave a kiss within the cup

And I’ll not ask for wine.

The thirst that from the soul doth rise

Doth ask a drink divine;

But might I of Jove’s nectar sip.

I would not change for thine.

Every year women around the world and organizations that back them as a cause or for recognition take up the cause of women as a trendy must.

But do we ponder whether their lot has improved in the year that passed. Do they suffer less or more? Are they still the second and not the equal partner, at work, in a partnership be it marital, personal and private or a business one.

Does the female of the species get due recognition and appreciation from the womb to the tomb or overlooked unless the males sees in HER a gain profit, investment and lasting friendship or treated as a pair loss liability and get over with attitude.

One may argue that certain women are at the top of realm in world affair or a country’s administration system, but is it proportionately just or fair.

One may also add to the benefit of their argument that women are biologically weaker or have a predestined role to play, attending to the ‘hearth and the home’, ‘bearing and rearing of children’ and of course the lesser partner in a patriarchal society or universe.

The boy child is always considered the ‘son and heir’ while the girl child’s role and rank is contested be it in the humble home or royal household.

Contrary to diction Britain appointed female heir in Queen Elizabeth II in a family of two girls, but has no doubt now about the role she plays so well and dignified as a real leader of the home and the country, binding together the citizens she is proud of.

But Japan on the contrary steered away gracefully a female’s right and heirloomship and recognized the male heir of the second son of the Emperor.

Women have shown their might as Cleopatra of Egypt, Catharine the Great of Russia, Elizabeth I of England and closer to home Indira Gandhi, Viharamaha Devi, Ehelepola Kumarihami and our women leaders of yesteryears.

Women now comprise about half of the world’s population, so why not ask for more for the less privileged who shoulder more than 50 percent of the labour force and responsibilities.

According to the new statistical report females in the public sector and the population of Sri Lanka has increased while the population has nearly hit to 1 billion eight hundred thousand of which number 51 percent is women (may be more now).

The percentage of women in the entire public services too has gone up, this is specially evident in the provincial services. Accordingly to recent records 59 percent of a work force of nearly 30,000 in provincial public service is females where teachers, nurses and hospital attendants are included.

They say - educate a woman and a family and thereby a society gets educated. This is not untrue in the case of Sri Lanka where a majority of teachers in the national schools and international schools are females leading to a high literacy rate in the island.

Isn’t a country indebted to its female population then?

Sri Lanka Government’s policy states equitable treatment in all spheres and greater weightage in female representation in Parliament. However in practice, female interest and active participation in policies is not praiseworthy.

There are more hurdles to be cleared. Females are scared to come out for fear of verbal abuse, physical harm, disturbances of the home front and above all the dominant male on all sides of the divide.

When can we find an answer to all this?