TITLE:
Economic Role of Women in Sri Lanka: A Historical Perspective
AUTHORS:
A. M. Malani Chandrika
KEYWORDS:
Sri Lankan Woman, Economy, Patriarchy, Feminism
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Historical Studies,
Vol.10 No.3,
August
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: The economy is a social science and, as such, should
take into account the practices of all components of the society, of men as
well as women. Therefore, it can be identified that a significant relationship
between women and the economy in history should be investigated broadly. Considering
the economic history of ancient Sri Lanka, women’s labour commitment depended
on both the social necessities and the nature of the agro-economic system. It
can be argued that women in ancient times have made a considerable contribution
not only to household needs but also to agricultural activities. However, their
economic role has not been taken into account in relation to the country’s
economy due to patriarchal ideology and the history of the country which was
built under the dominance of males in South Asian societies. The major
objective of this study is to examine how women contribute to the country’s
economy and investigate how women’s labour role can be recognized in the
society in Sri Lanka. According to the periodization of Sri Lankan history, the
ancient and medieval periods are covered through the study due to time
limitation. The study was based on primary and secondary data gathered from
literature surveys directly related to the issues addressed in this study. The
issues of women’s economic situation have been discussed by feminist historians
within the feminist theoretical approach, and they have developed a broader
discussion regarding the economic involvement of women in the context of
patriarchal society in South Asian countries. Accordingly, as a theoretical
perspective in this paper feminist theoretical approach is used within the
context of feminist historiography. The study revealed the factors regarding
women’s economic role with special attention to the various fields that women’s
involvement as workers in the selected period. According to the literary and
archaeological sources, it can be emphasized that women have functioned in
various fields, including activities related to the agricultural economy,
internal trade affairs, animal husbandry, various other industries, and
teaching. Women’s labour role and direct involvement in the economic sector
increased with socio-economic changes that took place in the country from time
to time. Furthermore, it can be recognized that women’s role in economic
standing directly affected women to increase their social development.