The 2017 theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) is “Be Bold for Change” – and with good reason. Although many may argue that Sri Lanka is far ahead of its regional counterparts and close to achieving gender parity, there is proof to the contrary.
According to World Bank statistics, by 2015, Sri Lanka’s population had grown to be 20.96 million, of which 51.8% was female. In 2014, female life expectancy stood at 78.2 years; 6.7 years longer than that of males in Sri Lanka. Although there is a higher proportion of women living longer in Sri Lanka, the adult female literacy rate stood at 91.7%, slightly lower than the adult male literacy rate of 93.6%, and while the percentage of female employment stood at a low 24%, the percentage of firms with female top management was a shocking 9%.
This is not a problem inherent only in Sri Lanka. In fact, predictions by the World Economic Forum suggest that the gender gap will not close entirely until 2186 – and that’s over 160 years away. The theme for IWD 2017 suggests that each and every person can be a leader within their own spheres of influence to take groundbreaking action to accelerate the process of achieving gender parity. Not only will purposeful action help women advance, it will also unleash a tremendous economic potential in Sri Lanka.
To inspire this acceleration process, we’ve come up with a list of Sri Lankan women who were bold for change, who broke gender barriers to become leaders in their fields of work, and made history while doing so.
Queen Anula (Reigned 47 BC – 42 BC)
First female ruler of Sri Lanka and Asia
Queen Anula, whose memory history hasn’t always been very kind to. Image courtesy wikipedia.org
Queen Anula has been portrayed in the Mahavamsa as promiscuous and deceiving, and while she isn’t necessarily role model material, the Mahavamsa has been less forgiving of Queen Anula’s wrongdoings when compared with the likes of the Kings that ruled Sri Lanka. Having said that, Anula Devi reigned as Queen from 48 BC to 42 BC, making her the first female ruler in Sri Lanka. She was also a contemporary of Cleopatra and is recognised as the first female head of state in Asia.
Adeline Molamure (1890 – 1977)
First female elected member of the State Council of Ceylon
Adeline Molamure was the daughter of J.H. Meedeniya, a Kandyan Sinhalese member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and elected member of the State Council of Ceylon for Ruwanweliya, and Cornelia Magdeline Senanayake. Adeline ran for her father’s seat on the State Council of Ceylon after this death in 1931, and won, making her the first female elected member of the State Council of Ceylon and the first female legislator in Sri Lankan history. In 1947, she was elected to the Senate and by 1955, was appointed Deputy President of the Senate. She was later made the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), an order of chivalry of British constitutional monarchy, recognising distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services outside the Civil Service and work with charitable and welfare organisations. She was married to Sir Francis Molamure, the first speaker of the State Council and Parliament and her only daughter Seetha Molamure also went on to be a member of the Senate of Ceylon, championing more females to take part in Sri Lankan politics.
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike (1916-2000)
The Modern World’s first female Head of State
Sri Lanka’s (and the world’s) first female Prime Minister.
Sirima may have enjoyed profound social command thanks to her aristocratic family background and marriage to a minister; however, it was not a good enough reason for a woman to obtain a leadership position back then. Let’s put things into perspective: Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, during a period where pregnancy was a fireable offence at the workplace in the United States of America!
Once she took oaths as PM in 1960, it is said that a suffix ‘-vo’ which denotes respect, was added to her name, making her Sirimavo, the modern world’s first female head of state. Sirimavo Bandaranaike pioneered the possibility of women as heads of state on a global level. It is rumored that the term ‘stateswoman’ was used by the British Press for the first time, when describing Sirimavo, the Sri Lankan Iron Lady.
Ezlynn Deraniyagala (1908 – 1973)
First female Barrister in Sri Lanka
Ezlynn Deraniyagala, barrister and feminist. Image courtesy slwla.org
Ezylnn Isabel Amelie Deraniyagala was the first female Barrister in Sri Lanka. Being a feminist, Ezylnn worked tirelessly as an advocate of women’s rights, and was the first President of the Ceylon Women Lawyer’s Association. She was also a long-time president of the All-Ceylon Women’s Conference and the 5th President of the International Alliance of Women (IAW). While being Co-Director of the IAW in 1955, AIW held its congress in Colombo, making it the first ever International Congress of Women held in the country. She was also an avid volunteer, extending her services during the 2nd World War as well as for the prevention of Tuberculosis. She was also a founding member of the Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka.
Rosalind Mendis (1903 – 1992)
First Sri Lankan female Novelist
Rosalind Mendis was born in 1903 in Hedeniya, and as a child was always interested in writing and spent most of her Sundays skipping church to nurture her talent. By 1928, she published her first novel, The Tragedy of a Mystery, through Arthur H. Stockwell, Ltd., in London, and thus is credited as being the first Sri Lankan female novelist. During a time where women resorted to male pseudonyms when publishing books, a South Asian, such as Rosalind publishing her book in London would have seemed nearly impossible. Rosalind ushered in an era of women writers, trespassing a male-dominated territory in the early 20th century.
Minnette De Silva (1918 – 1998)
First female Architect in Sri Lanka
Minnette de Silva, Sri Lanka’s first woman architect and Asia’s first female member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Image courtesy hi.lk
Minnette de Silva was educated in Britain and also spent some time in India before she returned to Sri Lanka and completed a brief architectural stint with Parsee architect Billimoria. She then persuaded her parents to send her to India to continue her studies in architecture; Minnette enrolled herself in a private school of architecture ‒ the Sir J. J. College of Architecture ‒ in Bombay, and later completed her studies at the Architectural Association School in London in 1948. She was elected as an Associate at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), making her the first Asian female architect to be part of RIBA. When she returned to Sri Lanka soon after, she returned as the first trained female architect from Ceylon, where she set up her practice as Minnette de Silva Associates. During a time where the architectural profession was male dominated, Minnette took up the challenge of combining the indigenous and the modern, in a quest to preserve local traditions and strike a balance with modern western design. Her career as an architect opened up the possibility of women pursuing architecture and joining professional associations, without having to be overshadowed by their male peers.
Susanthika Jayasinghe
Sri Lanka’s first Olympic Medalist since 1948 & first female Olympic Medalist
Susanthika Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka’s first female Olympic medalist. Image courtesy newsin.asia
Nicknamed the Asian Black Mare, Susanthika was born into a poverty-stricken family in Kegalle and had little means to participate in sporting events at the time. However, her economic situation did not stop her from pursuing her dream. She began running barefoot at events held in her village and went on to shine at Junior District Age Group events. Soon she was winning various national events and stole the limelight as the Queen of the local tracks. Susanthika won her first international event at the Asian Games in 1994 where she was placed 2nd at the 200m event. By 1997, she had won a silver medal in the 200m race at the World Champions and went on to win a bronze medal at the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000, becoming the second Sri Lankan to ever win an Olympic medal ‒ 52 years after Duncan White ‒ as well as the first ever female athlete to achieve such a feat.
Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake
First female Supreme Court Judge and female Chief Justice in Sri Lanka
Former Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake. Image courtesy AFP/Ishara S. Kodikara
Shirani Bandaranayake was born in Kurunegala in 1958 to Flora and Wilson Bandaranayake, who were both public sector employees at the time. Due to her father’s postings, Shirani saw herself relocating several times with her family, and therefore also attended several schools. Later, she graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo, with an upper second class Bachelor of Laws Honours degree. Over the next several years, Shirani obtained many scholarships and accolades such as the Commonwealth Open Scholarship, the Chevening Scholarship, the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and the British Council Assert Award. Shirani held a number of senior positions at the University of Colombo, and was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law in 1992. In 1996, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, making history as Sri Lanka’s first female Supreme Court Judge. In 2011, she was appointed Chief Justice following the retirement of Asoka de Silva, thereby also making her the first female Chief Justice in Sri Lanka.
Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala
First Sri Lankan to summit Mount Everest
The first Sri Lankan to reach the world’s highest peak. Image courtesy Twitter
As a child, Jayanthi was an adventurous and sporty child with an ambition to climb Everest one day. Her parents, Nissanka and Jacinta, encouraged her to pursue adventure sports. Jayanthi completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in India where she was further inspired to climb Mt. Everest. She signed up for her first month-long mountaineering course which required strenuous training. She later completed the advanced course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. This experience led to scaling Island Peak in the Himalaya in 2011, Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2014, rock climbing in the Pyranees, Andes, South Africa, etc., as well as local treks to Kirigalpoththa, Sinhagala in the Sinharaja rainforest, the Bible Rock, and Manigala of the Knuckles range. Jayanthi is not only a thrill-seeker ‒ in 2003, after graduating from Delhi University, she received a full scholarship to the University of Sussex to pursue an MA in Gender Studies. This opportunity also assisted her career advancement at the Women & Media Collective where she works as a Gender Specialist. Jayanthi conducts various motivational speeches and hopes that her achievement will encourage women to take up mountaineering. During an interview she urged women to “understand their hidden strength and display it to the world.”
Capt. Anusha Siriratne
First female Captain at SriLankan Airlines
Capt. Anusha Siriratne, the first female Captain at SriLankan Airlines. Image courtesy serendib.btoptions.lk
With an estimated 3-5% of female pilots globally, commercial airline piloting is one of the most skewed careers in terms of gender parity. In an industry that is heavily male-dominated, being a female pilot itself must be applauded as a great achievement. Anusha, however, is not only a pilot but was the first female Captain at SriLankan Airlines. She obtained her Private Pilot’s License at CDE Aviation, and her Commercial Pilot’s License in Texas. In 1998, she joined SriLankan Airlines as a Cadet Pilot and by 1999, was promoted to First Officer. In 2003, she took a year off from flying to focus on her daughter and family, but resumed duties and went on to be Captain by 2008. Although it was Anusha’s dream to be Captain, she believes that she would not have been able to achieve this without a good support structure at home. She states that circumstances, weather conditions, and aircraft do not change according to gender, and encourages young women to consider careers as airline pilots.
Chaturika Rajapakse
First female Assistant Superintendent in the Plantation Sector
Chaturika Rajapakse, Sri Lanka’s first female planter. Image courtesy sundayobserver.lk
Chaturika is credited as being the first female planter in Sri Lanka, at only 26 years. Following her father’s footsteps, Chaturika commenced her duties as Assistant Superintendent of Queenstown Estate in Haliela just last year. Although women account for the majority of the Estate Sector workers, there are proportionately fewer women in leadership positions (managers/superintendents/assistants), reflecting a national issue. Her employer stated that she was hired on meritocracy and believes that a woman in command is best suited for an industry with a workforce predominantly made up of women. Chaturika will no longer be handling only administrative work (which a female’s role would generally entail), but will be looking into agriculture-related work, employee relations, health and safety issues, as well as innovation which her company has embraced to maintain a competitive advantage.
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera
Internationally recognised LGBT Rights Activist
Rosanna Flamer-Caldera is internationally recognised for her activism concerning LGBT rights. Image courtesy American Jewish World Services
In a country where homosexuality is illegal under colonial-era laws, Rosanna Flamer Caldera continues to serve and fight for the rights of LGBTI Sri Lankans. Born in 1956, Rosanna grew up in Sri Lanka until she turned eighteen and moved to San Francisco where she spent the next 15 years. There, she participated in her first pride parade led by the famous Harvey Milk, and initiated her involvement in the LGBTI rights movement. In 2004, Rosanna founded the non profit organisation ‒ Equal Ground ‒ which advocates for human rights and equality of the LGBTI community in Sri Lanka. Rosanna was the Co-Secretary (and the first female representative from Asia in the executive committee) of the International Lesbian and Gay Association from 2003‒2008. Rosanna continues her activism both locally and internationally. In an interview she stated that everyone can play their part to champion change in various ways, even without having to actively agitate for rights.
Nela De Soyza
First female (from Sri Lanka & the SAARC Region) Honorary Fellow of American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Nela Zoysa is the first woman in the region to receive an American Institute of Architects Honorary Fellowship. Image courtesy ft.lk
We have already included an architect in the list, but Nela De Soyza has a lengthy list of firsts and has achieved so much as a woman of colour, that we just could not leave her out.
Nela began her career as an artist at the Melbourne Art School under the guidance of Cora Abraham. She pursued Architecture at Syracuse University in New York and the University of Moratuwa before completing the professional examinations at the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, thereby embarking on her professional career as an Architect. Nela is the first recipient of the Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA) Gold Medal in 1999/2000 for her BMW Complex project, the first woman office bearer in the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, the first woman from not only Sri Lanka, but the entire SAARC region (and the only Sri Lankan after Geoffrey Bawa) to ever receive an American Institute of Architects Honorary Fellowship, and is currently the Overseas Councillor for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). She has been lobbying on behalf of RIBA’s international membership and has paved the way for Sri Lankan architecture students to obtain the RIBA qualification.
Nilushika Jayaweera
Domestic worker turned entrepreneur
From domestic worker to entrepreneur, Nilushika’s story has been a truly inspiring one. Image courtesy newsfirst.lk
While many at her age were enrolled in school, Nilushika was supporting her three younger siblings who were aged thirteen, nine, and two. Being orphaned at fourteen years of age (and being the eldest) had left her the sole breadwinner of her family, and Nilushika was unable to pursue her studies although she had the desire to do so. After a few difficult years, Nilushika commenced work in the apparel industry where she continued to work for three years. As her income was low, Nilushika decided to migrate to Singapore as a domestic helper in 2001. She still longed to pursue her dream of being a businesswoman, but her economic situation remained a barrier. In 2010, her employer was curious to know if this young woman had no future aspirations. When inquired, Nilushika confided in her, and her employer agreed to support her by enrolling her at Aidha ‒ a non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering female domestic helpers through financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills development. Nilushika graduated from Aidha in 2012, and went on to be a successful entrepreneur, buying and selling Sri Lankan tea to over 500 international customers. The income generated from her business has also been utilised to establish Emerging Hope Lanka ‒ an NGO that works towards equipping women in her village with the knowledge and skills required to start their own SMEs, thereby assisting them to lead independent lives.
Our list of bold Sri Lankan women who have shattered gender stereotypes is extensive, that we, reluctantly, we have to limit it to the above-mentioned and make do with a list of special mentions instead:
Dr. Nipuni Palliyaguru – Scientist who helped detect Gravitational Waves
Prof. Priyani Soysa – Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics of the University of Colombo and the first woman to be appointed to a professorial chair
Lilamani Dias Benson – Veteran in the Advertising Industry
Nilakshi Parndigamage – Dean at Ezra Stiles College, Yale University
Dr. Binodh de Silva – Bioanalytical Scientist, first Sri Lankan President at American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and International Mentor of the Year 2015
Damindra Dias – Ex-Managing Director of Kellogg India & Ex-Deputy Director of Finance Coco-Cola India
Dr. Kamini Mendis – WHO’s Malaria Policy Advisory Committee/ Founded the Malaria Research Centre at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo/ Professor – Parasitology
Kishani Jayasinghe Wijeysekera – Lawyer turned Opera Singer and first Sri Lankan to perform at the Royal Opera House
Asha De Vos – Marine Biologist; Senior TED Fellow
Savitri Goonesekere – First Woman Vice Chancellor in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has had a long tradition of women who have broken gender barriers and made their mark not only locally, but on a global scale. Although significant challenges continue to exist, men and women alike must work collaboratively to drive greater change for women and move close to gender parity.
Featured image courtesy wikipedia.org