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| Sri_Lanka | |
 Flag of Sri_Lanka | |
| Population (in Mil.) | 21.5 |
 Sex Ratio (m/f)
| 0,97 |
 Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)
| 1.11 |
 Fertility Rate
| - |
 Income Ratio (f/m)
| - |
 Literacy Ratio (f/m)
| 0,97 |
 Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)
| n/a |
 Women in Parliament (in %)
| 4,9 |
| SIGI Rank | 45 |
| More information on variables | |
| Did you know that Sri_Lanka ranks number 45 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Sri_Lanka" at genderindex.org: | |
Contents |
Social Institutions
Although a country influenced by patriarchal values and social norms, Sri Lanka has achieved a greater degree of gender equality than many other developing countries. Customs and traditions vary across different regions and religions, however, and affect women in different ways. Close to 70 percent of the population is Buddhist, 8 percent Muslim, 7 percent Hindu and 6 percent Christian. Equal and free access to health and education services since the 1940s has enabled the country to achieve gender equality in primary and secondary education. Women also make up the majority of university students, but still continue to face gender barriers in the labour market and on the political arena. Most women are employed in the informal sector and poverty coupled with political instability and traditions of male leadership make it difficult for them to challenge or change their situation. War widows - there are an estimated 40 000 in Sri Lanka - make up a particularly vulnerable group.
Family Code
Family relations in Sri Lanka are governed by several legal systems, the main one being the General Law (a combination of Roman Dutch and English law). In addition to the General Law, three parallel systems of personal laws may apply: Islamic law, Kandyan law and Thesavalamai law. These laws are grounded in ancient customary practices and/or religion.
The legal age of marriage is 18 years for both men and women. Early marriages are not as common as in other South Asian countries, but do occur in some communities following religious beliefs and cultural practices. For example, Islamic law argues that there is no concept of minimum age of marriage (about 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s population is Muslim). An estimated 7 percent of Sri Lankan girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed (UN, 2004).
Following Islamic law Muslims may practice polygamy (Sharia allows for up to four wives), although the practice is otherwise illegal in Sri Lanka. Only a very small share of Muslim men has multiple wives, however, and the ones that do are supposed to give notice to their first wife before they enter into a second marriage.
For the duration of a marriage, the mother is usually responsible for the daily activities related to child-rearing, while the man is regarded as the natural guardian. In the event of divorce, men previously enjoyed preferential custody rights. Recent judicial developments in the context of parental authority, however, emphasise the well-being of the child who may then be placed with either parent.
While the Constitution provides for equal inheritance rights for men and women, Islamic law discriminates against women in the area of property and grants them smaller inheritance shares than male heirs. A daughter, for example, inherits half as much as a son. Kandyan law, in turn, holds that daughters who marry in diga (i.e. where a bride is taken into her groom’s house) after the death of her father must transfer any property she inherits to her brothers or sisters that have been married in binna (i.e. where the groom is taken into the bride’s home). Males are also given precedence over females in inheritance of agricultural land (UNESCO Bangkok). Still, Sri Lankan women overall enjoy more equitable inheritance rights than women in many other developing countries.
Physical Integrity
Female genital mutilation is not a general practice. Nevertheless, female circumcision occurs among some segments of the Muslim population and remains unregulated by law.
Violence against women continues to be a problem and to a large extent due to the long-running conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. For the duration of the conflict, women have experienced rape, detainment, harassment at checkpoints and other violations of their personal security. Domestic violence, including marital rape, is another area of concern where legal protection, although strengthened through recent amendments to the Penal Code, is insufficient and incidents rarely reported.
In contrast to several other Asian countries, missing women does not appear to be a problem in Sri Lanka. In fact, having a small family with children of both sexes is expressed by many as more desirable than only having sons.
Civil Liberties
Women enjoy legal freedom of movement, but this right is naturally limited in conflict-affected areas. To various degrees, traditions and customs also confine women to their homes where they are expected to carry out domestic chores. The restrictions on female mobility and autonomy are strongest among Muslims and Indian Tamils.
Women are not obliged to wear a veil in public, although traditions of purdah apply to the Muslim population.
Ownership Rights
Women may own land in general, but they are discriminated against in the area of new settlements. If a woman did not own any land in her original location, the Land Development Ordinance of 1934 will deny her right to land in new settlements (CEDAW, 1999).
Men and women have legal equal rights to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of credit from State and private financial institutions and from donor assisted or local credit delivery programs.
A case study conducted by the International Centre for Research on Women (2006) shows that the majority of women that own property (including land) have received this asset through inheritance. The study also found that the second main source for women’s property was through purchase. Finally, a few women had become property owners through government programs.
In the News
- UNFPA 28.05.2010 : Sri Lankans Play Around with Gender Stereotypes
Sources
- International Centre for Research on Women (2006), Property Ownership & Inheritance Rights of Women for Social Protection – the South Asia Experience, synthesis report of three studies.
- Klasen, K. and C. Wink (2003), “Missing Women”: Revisiting the Debate, Feminist Economics 1/2003, Volume 9, Issue 2-3.
- OECD (2006), The Gender, Institutions and Development Database, www.oecd.org/dev/gender/gid.
- United Nations (2005), MDG Country Report – Sri Lanka: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women, http://mdg.lk/index.htm.
- UNESCO Bangkok, Sri Lanka Country Profile, country specific ARSH information (chapter 5), www.unescobkk.org.
- UNIFEM Women War Peace Portal, Gender Profile of the Conflict in Sri Lanka, www.womenwarpeace.org.
- United Nations (2004), Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Fertility Report, New York.
- WomanStats Project/WomanStats Database, [1].
The Women, Business and the Law
Where are laws equal for men and women? 
The Women, Business and the Law report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. This report does not seek to judge or rank countries, but to provide information to inform discussions about women’s economic rights. Covering 128 economies, Women, Business and the Law provides data covering 6 areas: accessing institutions,using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.Read more about the methodology.
For detailed information on Sri Lanka, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Sri Lanka page.
