Dearth of female role models in Sri Lanka

There is a dearth of female role models in Sri Lanka to inspire other upcoming women, SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneur Council (SCWEC), Chairperson, Rifa Musthapha told the Business Times.

Women need to be encouraged and showcased with the achievements they have made in their career for other women to be inspired, she added.

She was speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing to announce the ‘SAARC Women Entrepreneur Awards’ for the first time in Sri Lanka held at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo last week.

She also mentioned that Sri Lankan women are far behind compared to other countries in the SAARC region. “In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, women’s participation in Parliament is comparatively high. There is a dire need for women’s participation in the Sri Lankan Parliament and legislation has been introduced in the local government for 25 per cent female representation.”

“We as women entrepreneurs see that it is not the policy that was lacking in the country, but the mindset of women that must change with time, not only in politics but also in various businesses,” she stressed while elaborating that it is the women themselves who have created the blockage due to various reasons to not come forward.

Sri Lanka will host the SAARC Women Entrepreneur Awards for the first time this year on March 2 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. One outstanding woman entrepreneur among nominees from each of the SAARC countries will receive the title ‘SAARC Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018’ at the awards night with the participation of female business owners from the region. There will also be knowledge workshops to collectively find fresh avenues to economic and social challenges in the region and networking opportunities, a media release from the SCWEC stated.

All proceeds of the event will be channeled to SCWEC’s ongoing project, a business model whereby a cost-effective sanitary napkin manufacturing scheme has been introduced to women clusters in the Kitulwatte community. The project is low cost, biodegradable sanitary napkins produced and marketed at a nominal price. The machine and technical know-how was obtained from Dr. Arunachalam Murugananatham, the innovator and social entrepreneur who started a menstrual hygiene movement in South India, the module of which is being replicated worldwide, the media release noted.