 Sri Lankan woman and child | |
| Global Gender Gap Index[1] | |
|---|---|
| Value | 0.670 (2021) |
| Rank | 116th out of 156 |
| Part of a series on |
| Women in society |
|---|
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All ethnic groups in Sri Lanka have clear distinctions regarding the roles of the sexes.[2] Sri Lanka was the first nation in the world to elect a female head of government, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Bandaranaike won the election in 1960 after S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, the preceding leader who was also her husband, was murdered by a spy.
While Sri Lanka relatively excels when it comes to gender equality indices, there are still many underlying issues pertaining to gender inequality in Sri Lanka.[3]
Generally speaking, women in Sri Lanka are responsible for cooking, raising children, and taking care of housework.[2] In families relying on agriculture, women are in charge of weeding and help with the harvest.[2] Among poor families, women also perform full-time work for upper class individuals.[2] Moreover, the man's role used to be seen as providing his family with material support by looking after his business.[2]
At the center of the hierarchy are children, who mix freely and receive a great deal of affection from both sexes.[2] Among the middle- and upper-income classes, education of children may last into their early twenties, and women may mix with males or even take on jobs that were in the past reserved for men.[2]
