Religion and feminism: A consideration of cultural constraints on Sri Lankan women

Abstract

There is considerable evidence that discrimination against women exists in the economic, social, and cultural spheres in patriarchal societies. The women's movement has attacked most vociferously women's lack of opportunities within the labour market and the political arena. However, if women are to be fully liberated, one of the most important struggles will have to be against the accepted values and attitudes arising from cultural and religious practices. This article analyses interviews from Sri Lankan women living in Colombo and Perth, Western Australia on women's attitudes to religious notions. The results demonstrate the impact of religious ideas and practices on the majority of women who were interviewed in 1984–1985. Except for the feminist respondents in the sample, the majority of women believed that they should carry out certain practices which subordinated them to their male partners and placed women on a lower rank than men within the community.