The gender paradox in Sri Lanka
Women make up 50% of the population but only 5% of the parliament – how can this be solved?
”If the women of a country are slaves, the men can never be free”. These were the words written by the Editorial, in the Sri Lankan magazine Voice ofWomen, as long back as January, 1980. Sri Lanka has a long history of female activist groups fighting for the rights of women since the 1970’s. Much has changed since then: a devastating war, a liberalised economy, a globalised world and new media that breaks old boundaries. In addition, a vital part of Maithripala Sirisena’s winning Presidential campaign was the slogan “A new Sri Lanka for Women”.
