Where a strong man failed, women are now feeding a democratic revival

It was a brief note during a worldly session of Parliament. But for Harini Amarasoria, Prime Minister in Sri Lanka, the moment she realized that her country, which was destroyed by the leaders of the strong man not long ago, entered a possible transformation moment for women.

A male colleague (and not very feminine, “as described by Dr. Amararasoria, stood up to say that the island’s nation cannot obtain more women in the official workforce unless it officially recognizes the” care economy ” – work for others.

For Dr. Amarasoria, he was one of the “greatest excitement” to hear the language in the government that has long been confined to activists or to the Sex forgotten Sections to a large extent. “I was like, well, all these years of fighting with you have resulted in,” she said during an interview with her in her office in Colombo, the capital.

Two years after Sri Lankan He rose and expelled a political strain Which brought the Erganic economic ruin, the country is in the midst of a reinventing once in a lifetime.

The anger hosted a quieter torque to change the sentence. Through a pair of national elections last year, For the president and For ParliamentThe old elite that was ruled for decades was eliminated. A left -wing movement increased in place, and promised a more equal society.

With the passage of democracy in the country, it is opened opportunities for women.

Women were a driving force behind the protest movement that forced the Sri Lanka chief to flee in July 2022. When the country ran out of criticism and fuel, the burden fell inappropriately on women with a local load. Their anger sent them to the streets.

Now, women are at the center of efforts to grant the country permanent protection against the whims of the powerful. Women also work slow and fixed in forming a political culture that allows them to have an equal space.

The women, who were 56 percent of registered voters, were decisive to electoral victories late last year by the national people’s power, a small left group.

President Anura Kumara Desianaki, the party leader, spent his life in left -wing policy. He appointed Dr. Amarasoria, a sociologist and activist, as prime minister, the second most powerful position in the country. She is the first woman to hold such a high position in South Asia, not the wife or daughter of a former senior leader.

In September, as she was ready to take office, Dr. Amararasoria was a cold rebellion when the New York Times visited her to her home, and her walls are covered with cat art. She said that one of her four cats was giving her position, falsifying a lame while trying to feed her.

She was watching political discussions in the United States, as she spent a year as an exchange student. “I think I am one of these “Women Cat without children”She said with a smile, referring to a comment rejected by the President now JD Vance, who has become a screaming of some American women.

For a long time, Dr. Amarasoria preached that a more equal society could not be achieved without making the ruling more friendly for women, as she injected what “feminist sensitivity” to make policy.

The new government is making policy discussions on improving equal wages and making work environments better for women. It hopes to raise the rate of female participation in the official workforce to about 50 percent, an increase of 33 percent. The ruling party doubles its efforts to mobilize women politically to ensure that this moment is not passing.

It is “a change in the way you think about the government, and the way you think about power and power,” said Dr. Amarasoria.

Some early works included ending a VIP culture about politics. Long -car’s breeds, large security details and the luxurious palaces of the ministers have been given. The president cut his footnote. The Prime Minister, which was under his former occupy, was actively beating more than 100 employees, now he has a library -like calm, as Dr. Amarasoria works with only ten employees.

Outside the hallway leading to her office, as well as on her office, there are framed drawings that her children send her. One of them showed Dr. Amararasoria in a blue sari and her natural curl.

“The Prime Minister,” said writing on the drawing. “May God bless you, Buddha.”

The real test will be the economy.

It settles, reinforced by an increase in tourism and discounts in government expenditures after decades of fugitive spending. But it is not out of the forest yet.

Kaveesha Maduwanthi, 18, who works in a clothing factory, is among many who hope that the country’s new leaders can find a way to enhance economic growth.

Mrs. Madwante earns about $ 100 a month. Her husband, Mason, to the house, brings almost the same amount if he gets a fixed job. She said that more than half of his salary went to the child’s formula for her daughter, which turned into 1 in January. Moreover, she and her husband pay the price of the ancestral food and drugs who manipulate the girl during their work.

She said, “We do not need the government to provide us with food – we can manage it in one way or another.” “What we need is a country that has a space to create a little extra money so that I can invest in my daughter – perhaps a pair of gold earrings for her first birthday.”

Before the presidential election last year, the power of the national people, the leftist party, spent about two years in an attempt to mobilize women like Mrs. Madwante. Women, Dr. Amarassoria and other party leaders, were arguing at the time, who were looking for someone to the lining of the issues they felt strongly.

After voters helped to raise Mr. Dissanayake to win the presidential vote, the party won an absolute majority in Parliament after weeks. In many areas, women won easily.

Dr. Amarasoria, who was running in Colombo, broke a record on the voices occupied by Mahinda Rajapaxa, former Prime Minister, president, war champion and older brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, which was removed in 2022.

She said that the abundant victories of Dr. Amararasoria and other women shattered a legend that the policies were unable to win. Her party collected central funds and distributed them equally to female candidates and males to overcome the faults facing women.

The number of women in Parliament has doubled. However, the country has far away – women still make up only 10 percent of legislators. There are only two women out of the 21 cabinet ministers for Mr. Dissanayake.

Dr. Amarasoria and other leaders said she was disappointed with these numbers. Dr. Amarasoria said that the work of making political culture between the sexes not only related to the numbers.

The party says it is focusing on consolidating women’s mobilization to get more of them in leadership positions at lower levels of politics. The goal, as he says, is to remove an excuse that there is not enough leaders to take advantage of more prominent roles.

Over the course of 13,000 Grama Niladhari, the smallest units in the local government in Sri Lanka, the party established a women’s committee, according to Sarouja Savithi Bolar, Minister of Women Affairs.

On Sunday afternoon, in the suburb of Colombo, a new committee was opened. The organizers collected the door to the door, collected information and created WhatsApp groups. About 100 people passed and sat on plastic chairs in the yard of the house.

Samanmali Ghannasing, the local member of Parliament, took the microphone. “We are used to be the utensils of flowers on the political stage,” said Ms. Gonasing. “They will take our voices and throw us into the fire after that, while giving up our children.”

Now she said that the woman’s committees created an area “where we can scream together.”