Transforming social norms is Sri Lanka’s unfinished agenda

Author: Christine Arab*

This article was originally published in the Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) on Sunday, 05 April 2026

On March 8, the world celebrated International Women’s Day 2026, a moment to not just celebrate progress – but to confront what still holds women and girls back. Under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls”, International Women’s Day urged governments, institutions and communities to move beyond commitments on paper and deliver tangible change in the lives of women and girls. With just four years to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, symbolic commitments are not enough. What is required now is strategic, sustained action that addresses the structural barriers to gender equality.

In Sri Lanka, this means acknowledging a persistent challenge: while the country has made important gains in education, health and legal protections for women, these achievements have not translated into equal economic opportunity, leadership, or safety from violence. Women’s labour force participation is 31 per cent, compared with 67.8 per cent for men. Women hold less than 10 per cent of seats in Parliament. These disparities reflect more than a country’s economic trends – they reflect the social norms and other intersecting forms of inequality which can hold women and men, girls and boys back.

Social norms define what is considered respectable, appropriate and possible. They define who leads and who follows, who earns and who cares, who speaks and who stays silent. They operate long before laws or policies intervene – and often determine whether those laws are implemented at all.

Gender norms

In Sri Lanka, gender norms still structure everyday life. From childhood, girls are taught to be modest, accommodating and self-sacrificing. Boys are told to be assertive, dominant and emotionally restrained. These expectations shape relationships, career trajectories and institutional responses to inequality. In the long run, they harden into structural constraints.

One clear example of harmful social norms is gender-based violence (GBV). Sri Lanka has taken important steps to establish legal protections for survivors, an achievement that reflects sustained advocacy and political commitment. Decades’ long advocacy by Sri Lanka’s women’s movement has taken route and had important impact. Yet violence persists in part because the state, the community and families too often treat GBV as a private matter rather than a public concern. The expectation that women should endure hardship for family honour, or that men’s control is a sign of care, undermines women’s right to safety and dignity. The Women’s Wellbeing Survey of 2019 shows that nearly one in five ever-partnered women in Sri Lanka has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in her lifetime. It also found that (49.3 per cent) of the women who experienced sexual violence by a partner did not seek formal help anywhere.

Survivors are still too often met with blame instead of belief. They are asked why they didn’t leave sooner, or what they did to provoke violence, rather than why violence was permitted to continue. They are urged to reconcile for family unity, even when harm persists. Over time, these messages reinforce a culture of silence, normalise harm and perpetuate cycles of abuse across generations. They also influence how authorities respond – whether reports are taken seriously, or reconciliation is prioritised over justice.

Norms also profoundly shape women’s economic lives. Despite high educational attainment, women’s labour force participation in Sri Lanka remains low. The persistent framing of men as primary breadwinners and women as caregivers limits women’s access to paid work, leadership and financial independence. Unpaid care work falls disproportionately on women, constraining their time, income and autonomy. UN Women’s recent Country Gender Equality Profile highlights that never-married women are overwhelmingly concentrated in employee roles (84.41per cent), suggesting greater mobility and independence due to fewer domestic and caregiving responsibilities. This pattern highlights how women’s participation in paid work is often easier when they are perceived to have fewer family obligations. Economic dependence, in turn, intersects with violence. For many women, particularly those in informal employment or unpaid family labour, leaving an abusive relationship is not only emotionally difficult; it is economically dangerous. Without access to income, assets or social protection, safety can feel out of reach.

Leadership

Leadership norms present another barrier. Women who speak confidently, assert authority or challenge the status quo are often judged more harshly than their male counterparts. In politics, businesses and communities, women face scepticism not because of a lack of capability, but because leadership itself is still viewed as masculine. Further, women leaders – particularly those in politics and public life – increasingly face online harassment, threats and image-based abuse, creating an additional barrier to participation in public decision-making. This exclusion harms not only women but deprives society of diverse visions, perspectives and experiences.

Harmful norms do not impact all women equally. Women with disabilities, those living in poverty, in post-conflict areas, and of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities face multiple layers of discrimination. Norms related to caste, class, ethnicity, respectability and beauty compound gender inequality, creating hierarchies even within marginalized groups. When a woman’s worth is based on how closely she fits these standards, disrespect becomes easier to justify.

Approach

Achieving meaningful progress by 2030 requires confronting the structural drivers of inequality – including the norms that sustain it. Change must move beyond awareness campaigns towards coordinated, multilevel action that expands women’s opportunity, strengthens access to resources and services, and supports women’s leadership across society.

This is the approach underpinning the Together for Her: Resilience-building, Inclusivity and Voices for Equality in Sri Lanka (THRIVE) programme. A five-year partnership between the Government of Australia and UN Women implemented together with Chrysalis and the Foundation for Innovative Social Development, THRIVE recognises a fundamental truth: lasting progress for women and girls is impossible without transforming the norms that hold inequality in place. Hence, THRIVE focuses on strengthening women’s economic security, expanding access to services and opportunities, and amplifying the voices and leadership of women – particularly those who are often left behind.

Engaging men and boys remains essential and hearing their voices and experiences is crucial. Gender equality is not about redistributing power from one group to another. It is about building societies that are more inclusive, resilient and prosperous for everyone.

Sri Lanka has already demonstrated that progress is possible through strengthened institutions, increasing access to quality education and sustaining social investment. The next phase of progress will depend on institutions, government and non-governmental bodies and communities working together to ensure that women and girls can fully exercise their rights, contribute their talents and shape the country’s future.