Abstract
Recent Global Gender Gap Reports published by the World Economic Forum show significant decreases in economic and educational opportunities, healthcare provision and political leadership for Sri Lankan women. Since the publishing of the Gender Gap Report in 2006, Sri Lanka was consistently ranked among the top fifteen countries in the world. In 2023, however, it was ranked 115 out of 146, indicating concerning conditions for Sri Lankan women. The purpose of this study is to explore the leading political and economic factors that create such circumstances for women. Using theories from scholars who study feminism, nationalism and political economy in South Asia, this paper will argue that Sri Lanka’s descent into a fascist regime during their nearly forty-year civil war has created a culture of impunity for men, in which, women suffer gross violations of human rights. Furthermore, this research shows how male political leaders manipulated the discourse on women’s issues to achieve self-serving political goals, presenting an additional barrier for postcolonial feminist movements. This paper thus concludes by urging the United States government to push for policy reform in Sri Lanka as one of its largest donor states.
Presenters
Owen RussellStudent, Political Science & European Studies, St. Lawrence University, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
WOMEN, GENDER, VIOLENCE, FASCISM, FEMINISM, POSTCOLONIALISM, NATIONALISM, SRI LANKA
