Women activists at a press conference for the Mothers and Daughters of Lanka talk about the need for more Sri Lankan women to be involved in politics. (Photo by Asanka Fernando)
Women's rights campaigners in Sri Lanka want at least a quarter of national parliament seats allocated to female politicians, mirroring a new quota established for local governments.
"Women are the majority both in population and foreign remittance flow, they should have more spaces in policymaking so that they can secure the social dignity of women," said Chandrika Kumari Herath, from Mothers and Daughters of Lanka at a press conference, March 4.
Currently there are 13 female parliamentarians out of 225 members in the Sri Lankan parliament but rights campaigners want this to be set to 25 percent. They also want all political parties to include more women in their ranks.
The call follows the presenting of a bill in parliament on Feb. 9 by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesighe, which gives women 25 percent representation on local government bodies.
"For the first time in Sri Lanka, the need for female representation in politics is legally recognized at local government level. This opportunity has to be considered in a more qualitative and quantitative manner," said Herath.
Since Sri Lanka's independence in 1948, women representation at a national level has never risen above 6.5 percent. Female representation at provincial and local government levels has been smaller still.
Despite this, Sri Lanka elected Sirimavo Bandaranaike as the world's first female prime minister in 1960. Her daughter, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, became the country's first elected female executive president in 1994. Sri Lanka was also the first country in Asia to give women the right to vote in 1931.
Rights campaigners say there is room for improvement in modern day Sri Lanka and that more female politicians need to be actively involved in policy issues that affect women.
"The main industries, the key sources of income for the country, textile garments, overseas workers, tea estate and farming are all dominated by women," said Chandra Devanarayan, a women's labor activist.
This is why women need more of a voice in how the country is governed, said Devanarayan.
"This is also an attempt to regain the dignity of women in all social sectors," said Charity Sister Noel Christine.
Sister Christine said that because Sri Lanka is a patriarchal society, women hesitate to compete with their male counterparts. Women tend to keep away from politics due to the fear that their public image would be tarnished, she said.
Sri Lanka has signed key international agreements for equality between women and men, and the principals of equality and non-discrimination are constitutionally protected.
