Meeting the Basic Needs of the Family: The Changing Economic Role of Wives and Daughters in the Villages of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Women fulfill several important roles during their lifetime but in recent years, the productive role of rural women has assumed greater importance. Traditionally, their economic role was confined to work within their homes, home gardens, farma and villages. Today there is an increasing tendency for women to engage in full-time or part-time non-farm occuapations. The objective of this paper is to assess the extent to which incomes of women in traditional tank villages contribute to the provision of food, clothing,shelter, health and educational requirements of their children through in situ and ex situ non-farm employment; highlight some of the conflicts faced by wlmen when they attempt to balance the demands of their multiple roles; identify major issues and suggest suitable recommendations. The sample selected from three traditional villages included: a male headed households in which the husband and wife spend an equal proportion on basic needs facto and de jure female headed households and households with unmarried employed women Accepted ethmographic techniques were used to collect data. Thte study highlighted the urgent need to support diversification of economic activities of rural woman,combat domestic violence, facilitate them to obtain micro credit, acquire skills, and gain access to new opportunities.