Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women: The Experiences and Expectations of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Since the inception of the parliamentary system of government, women’s political participation and representation in decision-making institutions have not grown in proportion to their population. Consequently, awareness of the need to promote gender equality as a mechanism to address women’s issues has emerged at the international level. It has been recognised that empowering women can be achieved by encouraging their participation in decision-making and policy-formulating bodies, particularly in politics and legislatures. There are significant differences in women’s political participation across various countries. This paper focuses on South Asia and examines the situation in Sri Lanka by analysing the increasing involvement of women in the legislature. In the history of Sri Lanka, the year 2024 marked the highest level of women’s representation in Parliament. This study considers how the rise in the number of women representatives in the Sri Lankan Parliament can contribute to women’s empowerment.