RIGHTS OF MARRIED WOMEN IN THE HOUSEHOLD: EQUAL OR MARGINALIZED?

Abstract

Abstract: Gender stereotyping has been in existence for centuries in the South Asian context. At domestic level in countries such as Sri Lanka specifically, husbands were considered as the bread-winners who had the whole responsibility of earning for the family whereas it was the wives’ role to remain at home doing the household chores, attending to children’s matters and caring for the husband and his family. However, things have changed drastically by now with the expansion of education and technology. Women contribute equally in domestic, financial matters and are successfully employed. Nevertheless, women are still expected to play the stereotypical female role, set by the society which is considered as the problem of the study. The aim of this study is to find out whether married Sri Lankan women with children have equal rights in the household in the present context when compared to their counterparts. To gather data, an online questionnaire was administered and the responses of 50 married women with children were analyzed quantitatively using excel. Among these 50 samples, 10 random respondents were interviewed and data was qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. The concept of ‘Gender Equality’ was closely monitored in the study. Findings revealed that majority of the married Sri Lankan mothers are equally educated as the husbands and contribute equally or more in financial, family and domestic matters when compared to the overall contribution of the husbands. Women are mostly unhappy due to lack of recognition and are mentally and physically unsatisfied under the dominance of the husbands. This is mostly due to the conventional stereotypical mindset inculcated into the population since childhood. Despite education and employment success, women seem to be still marginalized in society as incompetent and vulnerable when compared to men.