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Fixing gender imbalance in SL politics: Amending laws, altering perceptions both vital

18 Jul 2021

By Sumudu Chamara Economic status is not the only factor that divides developing nations from the developed – social and cultural progress are also key in deciding a country’s status in the international arena. But progress as a nation can only be achieved when all three factors are focused on parallelly, with the right balance struck between equity and equality. Of course, all citizens must be treated equally – this is fundamental to democracy – but at the same time, different groups face different circumstances, and as such, opportunities must be provided to those that face an unfair disadvantage. A key element of this discussion is gender disparity, an issue that has been raised repeatedly around the world and received mixed responses. In Sri Lanka’s case, gender disparity pervades every level of society, and so solving the issue – or attempting to, at the very least – must begin at the very top. While we do tout the fact that Sri Lanka saw the world’s first female president, we have fallen behind to the point where the need for more female representatives in governing and law-making bodies, especially Parliament, has returned to focus.  More women MPs in Parliament This became a topic of discussion again last week, when it was reported that the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) had presented several proposals to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reforms, seeking more women representatives in Parliament. These proposals seek a 50% quota for females under the allocation of each political party for their Parliamentary National Lists, as well as for Provincial Council (PC) and Local Government (LG) elections. The WPC also requested that the nomination of women to Parliament, PCs, and LG polls be increased to a minimum of 30%. The WPC also proposed a minimum 30:70 female-male ratio at all levels of governance, with an allocation of a minimum 25% quota for women, as guaranteed under the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017, without any amendments. As The Morning reported earlier, further recommendations include 33% women’s representation in all statutory bodies, boards, and commissions, and to consider allocating exclusive electorate divisions for female representatives. Other recommendations include the unification of all electoral laws in Sri Lanka into one consolidated electoral code/Act; the introduction of a common electoral system for Parliamentary, PC, and Local Authority elections; the protection of the voting rights of the citizens despite residential areas, disabilities, and mobility restrictions; and the prohibition of adjustments being made to the District lists. The proposals have been handed over to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, to be sent to the Parliamentary Select Committee, and further steps are to be taken after the Committee’s response is conveyed. To look into the current situation of the matter, The Morning spoke to several female MPs who serve as members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC). Public opinion about women parliamentarians Both Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Rohini Kumari Kaviratne, and academic and Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya pointed out that Sri Lanka, like many of its Asian counterparts, has a society where a patriarchal social construct prevails – not only in politics.  Many social concepts are based on or heavily influenced by the patriarchy, and for decades, gender and social activists have been trying to establish gender equality, not only among men and women, but also among all genders, including those who do not identify as male or female. This patriarchy’s influence on public opinion and political culture is one of the foremost factors, if not the main one, that has hindered more women from entering or excelling in politics, according to women parliamentarians. MP Kaviratne and MP Dr. Amarasuriya also agreed on the point that this has influenced how political parties look at women politicians. When asked why Sri Lanka has not been able to achieve significant changes and progress as far as women’s representation in politics is concerned, despite decades of discussions about the same, Kaviratne said that the main reason was Sri Lanka’s culture, which promotes and upholds the notion among voters that women are unlikely to be good politicians. “The world’s first female Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike and the world’s first female Executive President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga were Sri Lankans. The first female politician to enter Parliament was Adeline Molamure, and she entered Parliament as far back as in 1931. This year marks 90 years since that event,” she noted. “However, we have to ask the question as to how many female politicians entered governing bodies such as Parliament and Pradeshiya Sabhas after that. That situation has changed. Today, despite having such examples, when it comes to lower levels of political hierarchy, there are issues when women enter politics.” However, despite discussions on the matter before almost every election, Sri Lanka has seen a meagre number of changes aimed at ensuring more female representation in governing bodies. The most significant among them was the 2017 amendment to the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act, No. 16 of 2017, which announced a 25% quota for women in local authorities. Section 7 of the Amended Act said: “..not less than twenty-five per centum of the total number of members in each local authority shall be women members, and provided that, where the number constituting twenty-five per centum of the total number of members in a local authority in an integer and fraction, the integer shall be deemed to be the number which shall constitute twenty-five per centum for the purpose of this section.” Kaviratne noted that through this 25% quota allocation for women, the former Government opened the door to women in politics, and that this amendment and the opportunities it entailed helped change the regressive belief that women only can, and should, excel in household work.  However, she noted, there has not been much of a change when it comes to women’s representation in Parliament and Pradeshiya Sabhas. Kaviratne also stressed that women will not always need a quota to be included. However, she added: “Until we change public opinion for a better outcome for women – i.e. until voters realise that women are also suitable for, and can excel in, politics, and until women can contest and win in a fair election – having laws in place for a specific quota or special legal provisions for women is necessary. Also, how the public looks at politicians in general needs to be changed through more responsible actions by politicians, and before more advanced steps, we have to solve these existing issues.” Both Kaviratne and Dr. Amarasuriya said that awareness must be raised to change public opinions about women politicians, with Dr. Amarasuriya adding: “These particular recommendations are aimed at electoral reforms; but we do think that steps need to be taken to change the public opinion that politics is an unsuitable arena for women. That is also being looked at.” Another issue that this leads to, Dr. Amarasuriya noted, is that without proper representation in Parliament, women are left without a voice in policy decisions that affect them in particular. “Despite the lion’s share of the country’s population being women, it is men who make decisions and make laws for women in Parliament. In this context, if there were more women in Parliament, it would be better for everyone in the country. We do not have at least a dedicated ministry for women.”  Gender budgeting for all genders Dr. Amarasuriya further pointed out that the lack of a political voice is not the only contributor to gender disparity, as the issue also has its roots in economic disadvantages – for women, as well as other genders – which could also be solved through more inclusive representation. “There is a need for proper ‘gender budgeting’ in the country,” she noted: “and it should include not only women, but also men, and other genders. We are concerned as to where in the Budget we talk about them, or allocate funds for their wellbeing. Even though many other countries have such policies, Sri Lanka does not.” This concept of “gender budgeting” mentioned by Kaviratne basically refers to the application of gender mainstreaming in a budgetary process. According to the Council of Europe’s definition, it involves conducting a gender-based assessment of budgets, incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process, and restructuring revenues and expenditures to promote gender equality. Essentially, gender budgeting could be identified as a strategy and a process with the long-term aim of achieving gender equality related goals. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, in Europe, methodologies and practices aimed at introducing and sustaining gender budgeting demonstrate its twin aims, i.e., including the lived realities of women’s and men’s lives in budgets and making existing inequalities visible in budgeting. Gender budgeting exists in various countries, at various administration levels and in various forms. Also, since this practice is most often incorporated into various governmental and institutional mechanisms and structures, there is a lack of specific information about government-led/introduced, national-level gender budgeting practices in countries. Sri Lanka’s neighbour India, however, has an internationally-recognised gender budgeting system, which, according to international reports, not only influenced expenditure, but also revenue policies.  For its part, Sri Lanka joined the Commonwealth’s gender budgeting pilot project in 1997 and over the years there have been discussions about making gender responsive budgeting systems at various public institutions.   Political parties’ support Whether stemming from such targeted quota allocations, or due to a more progressive societal mindset, many countries that have a considerable female representation in governing and law-making institutions have excelled in many ways, noted MP Kaviratne. However, she added, it all starts with the support extended by political parties for women to contest and be elected to Parliament and other governing bodies. She noted that the necessary changes do not have to be enacted through laws if the leaders of political parties harboured a genuine need to support women. “We think that at least 50% of the National List, which comprises 29 MPs, should be women politicians. Parties should support this endeavour. That would help to ensure that Parliament will have at least 14 women politicians, whether elected or not, because when women are only allowed to enter Parliament through elections, only a small number of them get that opportunity. This time, only three female members entered Parliament via the National List, and the others got elected. However, in total, it is just 12 members. “If there were legal provisions, even if parties did not extend their support, women’s representation could be increased, and that is why we request at least a 30% quota for women under nomination lists. Also, we feel that other public institutions, including boards, corporations, and committees also show inadequate female representation.” Dr. Amarasuriya also noted the inadequate level of support extended by political parties to female politicians and candidates. Expressing her disapproval of this, she said: “The nature of mainstream political parties is one of the major reasons why Sri Lanka has inadequate female representation in Parliament. The prevailing patriarchal culture within the mainstream political parties has made it very difficult for women to enter politics.” Kaviratne added: “The electoral system is being changed, and we should talk about parties’ composition. Some parties use women only for activities such as protests, and despite their commitments, they do not hold any position within political parties.” As those who spoke with us underscored, introducing laws is just one measure to address the issue of lack of female representation in politics; the ideal scenario entails changing public opinion to the extent that gender is no longer part of the deciding criteria when votes are cast. At the end of the day, this is what illustrates progress as a nation – when quotas or laws are no longer needed to ensure equality, and such standards are upheld by society itself.    


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