Policy
Mar 08, 2023

DigitALL: Are Sri Lankan Women Abandoned in Digital Transformation?

Technology plays an important role in modern society. It connects, innovates, and transforms economies and societies at large. Yet, women and girls continue to have limited access to technology. This gender bias is also present in Sri Lanka, where women comprise of over 50% of the population.
This year, the United Nations marks International Women’s Day with the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, focusing on the digital gender gap’s impact on widening socio-economic inequalities. This blog explores the factors hindering Sri Lankan women’s access to technology and discusses some ways to overcome them.

Mar 08, 2022

Breaking the Bias: Increasing Women’s Political Participation in Sri Lanka

Although Sri Lanka elected the world’s first female Prime Minister in 1960, over six decades later, the country’s political arena continues to be male-dominated. Sri Lanka currently ranks at 179 out of 189 countries for the percentage of women in national parliaments. This is far below the country’s South Asian counterparts. Women represent over 52% of the country’s population, yet men continue to play a dominant role in the national legislature. Insufficient female representation is a prominent weakness in Sri Lanka’s political landscape. The 2019 Presidential Election recorded the highest number of contestants in a Sri Lankan presidential election. Of the 35 presidential candidates, only one was female. With an overwhelming majority of the current administration being male, the current share of female members of parliament stands as low as 5.33%. This blog explores the gender disparities in Sri Lankan policymaking and outlines actionable steps to increase the share of women in politics.

Jul 11, 2018

The Role of the Public Sector in Promoting Economic Growth in Sri Lanka

Poor governance and ineffective government have caused the economic growth in Sri Lanka to slow down. The Sri Lankan government faces several challenges in carrying out its functions. Amidst corruption and inefficiencies, the author argues that Sri Lanka could benefit from establishing a system of IGs, similar to that of USA.