Feminism, nationalism, and labour in post-civil war Northern Province of Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

This viewpoint highlights the paradox of low labour force participation and high unemployment among women at a time of growing educational levels of women in the former conflict-affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It highlights the rise of ethno-feminism and sub-nationalism that undermine what few opportunities open up for women in terms of employment and livelihood opportunities, thereby weakening the peacebuilding efforts of various stakeholders.

Ce point de vue met l’accent sur le paradoxe de la faible participation de la force active et du chômage élevé parmi les femmes, à un moment où les niveaux d’éducation chez les femmes sont de plus en plus élevés dans la province Nord du Sri Lanka, anciennement affectée par la guerre civile. Il souligne l’émergence de l’ethno-féminisme et du sous-nationalisme qui sapent les quelques opportunités offertes aux femmes en matière d’emploi et de moyens d’existence, affaiblissant ainsi les efforts de consolidation de la paix de divers intervenants.

Este punto de vista resalta la paradoja resultante de la baja inserción de mujeres en la fuerza laboral y el alto desempleo femenino en un momento en que se ha elevado el nivel de escolaridad de las mismas en la Provincia Norte de Sri Lanka, anteriormente afectada por el conflicto. En este sentido, el artículo destaca el surgimiento del etnofeminismo y el subnacionalismo, que socavan las pocas oportunidades que se van dando para las mujeres en términos de empleo y de medios de vida, debilitando de esta forma los esfuerzos que varios actores realizan para construir la paz.

KEYWORDS:

• Labour and livelihoods
• Gender and diversity
• Conflict and reconstruction
• Aid – Development policies
• South Asia

View correction statement:

Erratum

Acknowledgements

Insightful and constructive critical comments and suggestions made by Jayanthi Thiyaga Lingham (PhD candidate, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) on the inception draft of this viewpoint, and valuable suggestions made by an anonymous referee, are gratefully acknowledged. However, the responsibility for any deficiencies herein lies with the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Muttukrishna Sarvananthan is a Development Economist and the founder and Principal Researcher of the Point Pedro Institute of Development (http://pointpedro.org), Point Pedro, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. He was an Endeavour Research Fellow at the Monash University in Melbourne (2011–12) and Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University in Washington, DC (2008–09).

Jeyapraba Suresh is a Senior Lecturer at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chenkalady, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka.

Anushani Alagarajah is a Research Assistant at the Point Pedro Institute of Development, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.

ORCID

Muttukrishna Sarvananthan http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6443-0358