A Study of Issues related to Empowerment of Female-Headed Households in Rural Areas in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Empowerment refers to the process of stimulation of potential powers, capabilities, abilities, and skills of individuals and communities. It plays a significant role to support active life through promoting the independent voice of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Hence, women empowerment enables women to identify their latent potentials and skills in decision making, active participation and implementation of policies and programmes. Women-Headed Households (WHHs) is a new form of the household and this new form of the household has become a significant phenomenon in both the global and national level. Although WHHs have occupied a prominent place in development discourse globally, very limited researches have been conducted regarding women empowerment related to WHHs in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to identify the social issues related to empowerment of women heads in rural areas. This empirical research was conducted in five Grama Niladari divisions of Galgamuwa divisional secretariat division which conveyed a marked increase of WHHs in Sri Lanka. Data were collected from a hundred WHHs through purposive sampling method. Questionnaires and semistructured interviews were used as primary data collection techniques. The research was conducted based on the survey method and case study method. Data were analysed based on thematic analysis and descriptive method. Power and authority are attributed in most patriarchal societies to women mainly due to the disappearing of the male person of the household. Thus, it could be identified that power and authority to make decisions in most cases of WHHs are not result of mobilization or empowerment but, women have no choice other than deciding on her household after assuming headship. Membership of community organizations illustrates a significant crosscutting of the social profile of individuals. A majority (99%) of WHHs had obtained membership of death donation organization and Samurdhi organization (79%). But importantly, it could be identified that majority of WHHs (80%, 66%, and 55%) had not obtained memberships respectively of the women development organization, water organization, and farmers’ organization. Only a few proportions of women heads (10%) had participated for self-employment training. Lack of motivation towards new trends of income-generating sources and unwillingness to change their familiar safe-zone had highly influenced the limited tendency to involve in activities related diversification of income-generating sources and livelihood of WHHs. Most of the current government programmes have related to the financial and physical allowances and has influenced to create a dependent mentality and to decrease the motivational factors among WHHs. As a result of that, a larger percentage of WHHs (75%) had requested more programmes on financial aids. Based on these findings it has been suggested to introduce integrated projects based on participatory development approach and methods of social inclusion to enhance opportunities to build self-esteem and self-confidence and to identify adaptation and mitigation actions to reduce hardships and issues through empowering latent potentials and skills of WHHs.