An evaluation of women's engagement in decision-making in a community welfare society in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Empowering women implies extending them the rightful authority or power to carry out tasks. Given the authority to do so, women could take part in planning and decision-making and contribute individually to development initiatives and activities. Evidence-based studies are needed to evaluate the impact of women's engagement on decision-making. The present study was an attempt to investigate the impact of women's engagement on decision-making in a community welfare society in Grama Niladari Division 103, Abagaswewa, in the Medirigiriya Divisional Secretariat in the Polonnaruwa Administrative District of Sri Lanka. The qualitative approach was used as the method of the research and the ethnographic method was used as the research design. The random sampling method was used for the study. The size of the sample was 100 women members of the welfare society. fFocus group discussions and participatory observations (overt approach) were used for data collection. The direct and indirect speech, narrative style, ethnographic account, and discourse analysis were used for the data analysis under the qualitative data analysis methods. 90% of female members found to be involved directly in governing their welfare events without the influence of any other party. Further, the study gathered information about the women's attitude towards the freedom they enjoyed in decision-making and having access to the leadership position. 91% of women's felt that they were having feedom in decision-making and had access to manage the events in their welfare society. The findings provided proof to conclude that women who engage in the welfare society had freedom and access to participate in decision-making at the grassroots level.