Inclusion Gender and Development Approaches towards Development Policy Making in Post-Independence Sri Lanka

Nisanka Sanjeewani Ariyarathne, M.A.C.G Wijesundara

Abstract

The principle objective of this paper is to examine how gender and development approach inclusion to the country’s development projects and examine its awareness of development policymakers in Sri Lanka. Among a wide range of qualitative research approaches, the study mainly based on the interpretive approach. By and large, the interpretive approach covers various knowledge about existing phenomena via understanding. Hence, the researcher intends to collect the data using human investigations and value on human interpretation of the study area. In the 1970s gender and development approach experimented with many parts of the world and a number of countries inclusion recommended gender-sensitive methods to their development projects. However, in the post-independence era, gender and development approach considerably invisible in the Sri Lankan development agenda. It is clear that this blunder largely affected women in the country. After seven decades of independence, Sri Lankan women’s achievements are far behind the males. In addition to that, Sri Lanka’s main foreign income earning sources are led by women facing many hardships. Nevertheless, the government put less consideration to enhance their other incentives and welfare. However, the government sector recently introduced a number of macros and micro-level development projects, but unfortunately, the concept of gender was not successfully absorbed.

Full Text: PDF