Sri Lanka is one of the worst countries in the world for female participation in politics, according to data released by the United Nations and Inter-Parliamentary Union this week.
Data compiled by the organisations, which presents global rankings for women in the executive and parliamentary government, showed Sri Lanka ranking lower than countries such as Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Congo, amongst others.
Overall Sri Lanka ranked 183rd out of 191.
“More women in politics leads to more inclusive decisions and can change people’s image of what a leader looks like,” said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
IPU President and Mexican MP, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, said,
“Equal representation in government positions is fundamental for a democracy to be truly representative and effective. Despite some positive movement, the overwhelming majority of government leaders remain male. It is a shared responsibility between men and women to change this and ensure gender equality at all political levels. It is important to identify the main barriers that are stopping women from accessing decision-making positions.”
See more from the UN here.
Also see the full rankings here.