News
Woman researcher sees persistent underrepresentation of women in politics despite increased representation in Parliament
Dr. Chulani Kodikara, researcher at the Social Scientists’ Association and Co-Editor of Polity (SSA Magazine) says that even though representation of women in Parliament increased there is persistent underrepresentation of women in politics.
Representation of women in formal political institutions remains low when compared with other countries in South Asia, Dr. Kodikara said delivering the opening remarks at a recent half-day event titled ‘Improving media engagement with women in politics in Sri Lanka’, aimed at improving media engagement with women in politics.
The event was jointly organised by the South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka (SAWM-SL), in collaboration with the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGSL), and the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in Colombo.
“Given that representation of women in Parliament has stagnated at around 5% (or more) for more than 40 years, and that the NPP was able to increase representation in Parliament, without any kind of quota or reservation, is really an achievement that we need to recognise and applaud. We have to also celebrate that for the first time in our history two women from the Malaiyaha Tamil community were elected to Parliament in 2024.”
Juxtapose this increase in women’s representation in Parliament to the dramatic increase in women’s representation in local government from 2% to 25% following the implementation of a quota for women introduced in 2016, she said it was achieved after a very long struggle waged not by party women, but by women’s organisations in Sri Lanka.
However, even as these gains are celebrated, she said much more needs to be done in terms of increasing the numerical representation of women in politics, noting that even though the number of women in Parliament has increased substantially, women continue to be underrepresented in the Cabinet.
She also noted that women continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions within party structures across all mainstream political parties in Sri Lanka.
Emphasising the media’s role in shaping narratives around women in politics, she said research indicates that female politicians receive less media coverage and are often portrayed in gendered, sexualised, or stereotyped terms. She also noted that the media tends to reinforce traditional gender norms, positioning women within the domestic sphere while aligning men with political leadership.
“The media are also less open to the concerns and achievements of women politicians than to those of their male counterparts,” she said, adding that the rise of social media has exacerbated harassment and hate speech against women politicians, posing a significant barrier to their participation in public life.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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