Gender-based discrimination serious problem in SL workplace

Discrimination against Sri Lankan women on a gender basis and gender-based violence in the workplace must end to create an enabling environment for young men and women to secure employment and gain training and skills, a women’s activist said last week.

Jayanthi Kuru- Uthumpala, the first woman and the first Sri Lankan to scale Mount Everest and Consultant, Dialogue Advisory Group, raised this issue loud and clear when she addressed the gathering at the launch of the “YouLead” – A new Employability and Skills Development Project to Tackle Youth Unemployment, held at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce auditorium in Colombo.

With the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the project is a coalition of partners, from the Government of Sri Lanka, the private sector, non-profit organisations, think tanks and academic institutions. It is a US$ 12 million initiative that will link youth to productive careers in the Sri Lankan economy by creating a more market- oriented, skilled, and flexible Sri Lankan workforce.

She indicated that climbing Everest has proved that women are equal to men. In driving home her claim that women are discriminated on gender basis, she said that a young woman whose dream was to be a Nobel Laureate had applied for a job in the research and development sector of a company and though she had the necessary qualifications and experience for the post she was rejected as the company insisted that they were looking for a male for the job.

She said that her achievement was based on factors like inner strength to be committed to something, used her own efforts to drive her to achieve the goal and the skills she has learnt. Overcoming the failures, she said she succeeded. The other important factor is the enabling environment, she said. She said that she got a lot of support from her parents and she was provided with opportunities.

On the project, she said that everybody should be given equal opportunities – men, women, children and even the disabled and to create an enabling environment for them all, which is crucial. She said that this environment should be created and the key driver would be the private sector to offer employment opportunities.

Female unemployment rate in this country, she indicated is double that of the men. She insisted that all type of gender-based discrimination has to be eliminated and equal access and equal opportunity should be the criteria and an enabling environment also means the facilitation for women – their maternity leave, those who work in the night, transport be provided to reach home and ensure they continue until they retire.

Ms. Kuru-Uthumpala commented “Most importantly, I believe that this outdated gender based discrimination must be challenged so that young people both men and women can apply for their training and skills and be employed”. (QP)