page_title: Gender inequality in Sri Lanka
section_title: Labor participation and wages
hierarchical_section_title: Gender inequality in Sri Lanka / Economic inequalities / Labor participation and wages
caption_attribution_description: English: Women with long black hair at work in tea factory Sri Lanka Nederlands: Vrouw met lang zwart haar aan het werk in thee fabriek in Sri Lanka
context_page_description: Gender inequality in Sri Lanka is centered on the inequalities that arise between men and women in Sri Lanka. Specifically, these inequalities affect many aspect of women's lives, starting with sex-selective abortions and male preferences, education and schooling, which goes on to effect job opportunities, property rights, access to health and political participation. While Sri Lanka is ranked well on several gender equality indices in comparison to other countries in the region, there are also some sources that question the verity of these indices. However, globally, Sri Lanka ranks relatively lower on gender equality indices. Overall, this pattern of social history that disempowers females produces a cycle of undervaluing females, providing only secondary access to health care and schooling and thus less opportunities to take on high level jobs or training, which then exacerbates the issue of low political participation and lowered social rights, a cycle studied and noted on by Dr. Elaine Enarson, a disaster sociologist studying the connection between disaster and role of women.
context_section_description: Historically, women in Sri Lanka have reduced access to quality employment, and even if they do obtain a job, they are paid far less and are subject to more harassment and limitations as compared to males working the same jobs. The Sri Lankan labor market is deeply separated and leaves little opportunity for women to gain access to jobs. Because of patriarchal policies imbedded in the history of this region, women are over-represented in the low-paid, laborious industries of the country. Specifically, it is in these jobs that women face a disproportionate amount of labor discrimination and lack of proper wages in the name of international competitiveness and the production of additional jobs. However, again due to increased political involvement by females, the conditions for these workers, especially in industries such as export-processing, have been improving in past years.
caption: Sri Lankan woman working in tea factory
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