Creating a Safe, Equitable, and Just nation for Women
The 8th of March marks International Women’s Day. A day to acknowledge the power of women out there. A day that provides us with an opportunity to reflect and celebrate our women. However, as the 8th of March once again dawns, we are also given an opportunity while celebrating these women, to also reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality.
Though International Women’s Day was honored for the first time in 1911, the roots of this event go back more than a century to the period of 1908, where Women’s oppression and inequality were spurring women to become more vocal and stand their ground in campaigning for a change. The focus on respect and opportunities for women remains strikingly relevant today. However, there are many new challenges that women continue to face in this day and age.
With the advancement of technology and with the emergence of new media; blogs, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and so much more, it opened a fresh space in which women can be represented in. However, with the advancement of such platforms, it has also made way for new challenges. There has been a rise and emphasis on the portrayal of women as sex objects, morally deficient and vulnerable, and opening the doors to a new form of harassment, cyber sexual harassment. There have been calls on putting in place relevant legislation to address this growing concern, as it is argued that victims of cyberstalking are inadequately protected as existing laws are too inflexible to cover online harassment.
This is no different from the portrayal of women in media. A balanced presence of women and men would reflect the composition of society and showcase a greater variety of the human experience. However, the reality of this is far from balanced. A majority of the content showcase women in stereotypical roles such as homemakers, models, victims or just to fill in the background of the scenery. Media has the power and responsibility to challenge stereotypes in content and to set an example for the current and future generations. There is a genuine desire to move with the times, but there is still a long way to go.
When speaking of equality and justice for women, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) Amendment is an important point of discussion. There are major concerns that the MMDA violates the rights of Muslim women and girls and placing several limitations. These concerns stem from the provisions within the act itself as well as the discrimination faced in the severely restricted Qazi court. Women are often mistreated, not given the equal treatment as their husbands, and are unable to express their side without the fear of being verbally abused and humiliated. Reforms towards implementing international standards and providing basic protection are usually vehemently opposed as an interference with the “rights of the community”. However, many activists have been advocating for reforming the act for many years, and the Cabinet of Ministers have finally approved the proposal to amend the MMDA, with core articles governing the minimum age limit for marriage and women’s consent being amended to include the minimum age of marriage for both the bride and the groom to be 18 years and for the bride to the sign the Register of Marriage as a sign of her consent. Despite the promising step towards the right direction, many parts of the MMDA are yet to be explored and unpacked.
Sri Lanka is front running in the area of education, and according to the Human Development Report of 2019 by the United Nations Development Program, 82.6 percent of the female population has some secondary education while 83.1 percent of the male population is with some secondary education. This is a remarkable feat since there is a very small difference between the male and the female population who have attained secondary education. However, when comparing with the figures of labor force participation rates, the realities are much more different to what we would expect, with only 34.9 percent of the labor force represented by women while 72.2 percent of the labor force are represented by men. Women shoulder a heavier burden of family work in modern society that prevents them from matching the male successes in the external labor market. Gender equality in relation to employment should aim to promote development within the labor market so that the same gains, economically, socially, and politically and brought to the women as to men that would empower the women to the same degree as men. The aim should be to adopt the labor market to integrate and be mindful of the values and constraints of women. Despite the high percentage of women having received a tertiary level education, the same number does not get transferred to the labor force due to factors such as high barriers of entry, low pay, long hours, and often informal working arrangements. And even within the sectors where women dominate, a very small percentage of women hold the upper managerial position. To improve the labor market outcomes for women, as well as to work towards economic development, society needs to accept the new economic role of women.
These are some of the many challenges that women face daily. So today, while I invite you all to celebrate International Women’s Day, I hope our actions and continuous efforts also lead to creating an equitable world for everyone out there.
