Perceptions on gender equity and its relation to womens employment in Ampara district of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Muslim women are enjoying more rights today than they ever have before. However, it seems that their equality to men in modern Muslim society is only granted to them at the surface level. Although the principle of gender equality and equity in Islam are clearly stated in the sources of Islam, the traditional perspective eventually prevailed, thus denying the Muslim women their rightful place in society, due to lack of knowledge of the Islamic principle—in many parts of the Muslim world, including Sri Lanka. Furthermore, there is a shortage of field experts in academic and non- academic fields that are relevant to the development of society. The majority of the working women in Sri Lanka are still found in the specific sector. If there is no change, Sri Lankan society will be the poorer as it prevents half of the population from contributing to the betterment of society. Traditional Muslim society does not encourage the active involvement of women in the public sphere; however, this is contrary to the Islamic principle of gender equity. Considering this issue, the current study examines how well Muslim women in Sri Lanka understand their right to gender equity in Islam, how it is implemented in the local labour market, and the current situation for Muslim women regarding their labour force participation. Hence, fourteen professional women were selected as respondents for this study, selected through purposeful sampling. Data collection was done from primary sources using semi-structured, in-depth interview. The data analysis was done through thematic analysis methods using Nvivo software. The findings showed that the majority of Muslim women were familiar with Islamic doctrine; however, they did not have a clear understanding of their right to gender equity in Islam. Therefore, there is the challenge of educating Muslim society on the importance of women’s employment. Second, the working women are practicing Muslims who are knowledgeable in religion. Third, there is a prevailing shortage of female experts in professional fields other than education. Moreover, most women are unemployed, the main reasons being family and economic barriers. This low rate can be increased by providing adequate guidance and opportunities so that young women are supported in their professional career choice.