Gender based occupational segregation and economic empowerment of women in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction :

Women’s economic empowerment is the capacity of women to participate and benefit in growth process of an economy. The economic empowerment recognizes the women’s contributions in employment and value of respects and their dignity.

Sri Lankan women have achieved a relatively higher status in terms of civil rights, education, employment etc., when compared with women in other developing countries. However, the Sri Lankan women have not fully achieved equal rights and gender equality according to international norms in all aspects including employment (Centre for Women’s Research, 2011). Although, Sri Lankan government had the commitment to ensure gender equality and recognizes women’s right since ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1981, women experienced discrimination in their career lives. While the state provides equal employment opportunities in the public sector employment, there is a wide discrepancy in the law and the reality.

Alam (2014) indicates that educated female can perform a significant role in their family economy by having an employment. They also receive better status and power in the family as well as in the society due to financial gains. According to West (2006), working status is important to empower women economically and the employed women also have greater likelihood for higher empowerment in other aspects than those women do not employed.

Despite the equal access to women at all levels of education, women in Sri Lanka are still facing discrimination in the employment sector (Moore et al. 2009). Majority of Sri Lankan women are employed in plantation, free trade zones, stereotype jobs, foreign employment etc., however previous studies have not examined sufficiently the ability of women for access to jobs pay higher remuneration and existing barriers which limit to entering them in such job market. Therefore, it is essential to identify current situation of women’s participation in different type of employment and its role in economically empowering the Women in Sri Lanka. It is also necessary to identify sustainable remedies to overcome discriminations against women entering to highly paid employment sector.