Page 1
i Lankan Journal
A Sr
()
�. VO || 4
(). December 1997
 
 

for Women's Liberation
of women
|SSue 6 < |SSN 1 319-O906 «» RS. 20/-

Page 2


Page 3
C O N T E N T S
Women - First to GroW O2
Half MOOn - Full MOOn O7
Dawn of Technology O9
Cultivating Technology 15 Development
A Woman Speaks Out 2O
ECological Feminist-ranganie Serasinghe 22
Women Farmers Dominate 24 the Dry Zone
Beyond Beijing 25
Root of Development 27
BOOKS Received 29
Feeding the Nation 31
Folding the Sheets (Back Cover)
*S
Cover / Illustrations : Janaki Samanthi
Printer : Hitech Prints
Funded by: SIDA
ISSN 1319-O906 December 1997 Vol 4, Issue 6
Voice of Women
21/25, Polhengoda Garden, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. Te1: O72-2O7 879
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STORY EMPOWERS WOMEN
OS 7 The Women and Agriculture' issue. We have gone far back history With the help of Massa Mies and Evelyn Reed to revea/the IS of Women in the period before 5000 years, before the descent of atriarchas cloud upon us. These two Women feminists have clearly Vn the matriarcha/structure and power base of the early Woman as ulturist and technologist.
Eve/Wim Reedsay/S "Ancient M/Omen Were mot Objects to be patrOn)/Zeld, 2d manipulated Orexploited. As producers and proCreators they were OWedged leaders in amatia/Cha/SOCiety and Were held in the highest JUrand respect bymes)."
WarrOWing Our lives to a husband home and family is the ultimate ifixion of Womanhood to a Second Sex, Which is marginalized and Used for its natura/functions in life.
How did We come to this? How do We get Out of it? /hese are Jrtant questions Weface today. With the Widely spread problems of incest, battery and indignity many Women face, force US to look 7 into the problems to make Women's lives more meaningful and ial
Besides these two articles, We have plenty of good indicators for uture. Agriculture is a field. Where Women Worked the hardest and aimed Unacknowledged for centuries. Today in Sri Lanka Women aged in agriculture have gained some recognition in Spite of Social Cultura/ Obstacles. MewertheleSS, a farmer is a male and a woman ains a hesperor a garden grower in most Surveys.
The rest Of the articles are Sma/indicators of achievements of Women ers in Sri Lanka followed by an evaluation study on the quantum of len's participation in agricultura/productivity Villages.
RanaWeera
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 01

Page 4
NNASKINESKNVANKSRVO KN NKOSNIN
Maria Mies
In the Course of their history, Women have observed the changes in their own bodies and have acquired, through observation and experiment, a vast amount of experiential knowledge about the functions of their bodies, about the rhythms of menstruation, about pregnancy and childbirth. This appropriation of their own bodily nature was closely related to the acquisition of knowledge about the generative forces of external nature, about plants, animals, the earth, Water and air.
Thus, Women did not simply breed children like cows, but appropriated their own generative and prOductive forces, they analysed and reflected upon their own and former experiences, and passed them on to their daughter S.
Today, We have sufficient evidence at our disposal to allow the conclusion that, in pre- patriarchial Societies, Women knew better how to regulate the number of their children and the frequency of ther births than do modern Women who have lost this knowledge due to their subjection to
the civilizing process of the males.
Gatherers and hunters and other primitive groups practiced, and still practice various methods by which to limit the number of births and chil
dren. Apart from infanticide, which
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 02
Was most probably method (Fisher 1978:2 many societies have plants and herbs as COI to induce abortions.
Another method O
used widely among gatherers and hunters period of breastfeedin
Women's producti
of new women and me
separably to the pro ( means Of Subsistence
life. Mothers who
Children and Who S
necessarily have to pr them Se|Ves and for the
the appropriation of nature, the fact that children and milk, ma first providers of daily gatherers, Who simplN they find in nature- pla mals, fish, etc, or as
The first division of lab
that
ties of the Women an
between the gi
hunting of the men, originated in the fac necessarily were res. daily Subsistence, frC ning, the gathering Of fruits, mushrooms, nl mals, etc, Was a Colle
of Women.
It may be as su necessity to provide

the earliest
02), Women in
used various
traceptives or
f birth Control
Contemporary is a prolonged
9.
On of new life,
in, is linked in
uction of the
for this new
give birth to suckle them,
O Vide food for
children. Thus,
their bodily they produce
kes them the
food, be it as
| Collect what
nts, small ani – agriculturists. our by seX. i.e. athering activid the sporadic most probably
t that Women
Onsible for the
m the beginplants, roots, Its, Small anictive activity
med that the
he daily food,
and long experience with plants and plant life, eventually led to the regular Cultivation of grain and tubers. According to Gordon Childe, this inVention took place in the Neolithic Age, particularly in Eurasia, Where Wild grains were first cultivated. Childe and many other scholars attribute the introduction of Cultiva
tion to Women who also invented the
first tools necessary for this new mode of production: the digging stickwhich was already in use for digging Out Wild roots and tubers - and the
(Childe 1976, Re ed 1975 Bornemann 1975, Thomson 1960, Chattopadhyaya 1973, Ehrenfels
1941, Briffault 1952).
hoe
The regular cultivation of food plants, mainly tubers and grains, signified a new stage and an enormous increase in the productivity of female labour which, according to many authors, made Surplus production possible for the first time in history. Childe calls this transformation the 'neolithic revolution," which he attributes to regular CultiVation of grain. On the basis of recent archaeological findings in Iran and Turkey, however, Elizabeth Fisher argues that people had already been able to collect a surplus of Wild grains and nuts in the gathering stage. The technological precondition for the collection of surplus was the invention of Containers, baskets of leaves and
plant fibres, and jars. It seems plau

Page 5
sible that the technology of preserVation preceded the new agricultural technology, and was equally necessary for the production of a
Surplus.
The difference between the two
modes of production is therefore not so much the existence of a surplus, but rather that women developed the first truly productive relationship to nature. Gather ers stil lived in a Society of simple appropriation, but with the introduction of plant Cultivation we can speak for the first time of a production Society“ (Sohn – Rethel 1970). Women not only collected and Consumed what grew in nature, but they made things grOW.
Women's objective - relationship to nature was not Only a productive One it Was al S0 right from the beginning, SOCfa/production. In Contrast to grown men, Who Could gather and hunt only for themselves, Women had to share their products at least with their young children. In other Words, their specific objective relationship to nature (to their own bodily nature as well as to the external environ
ment), namely, to be able to let grow and to make grow, made them the inventors of the first Socia/ re/affonShips, those between mothers and Children.
Many authors have come to the Conclusion that mother - Children grOupS were the first social units, not Only units of consumption but also units of production. Mothers and children Worked together as gatherers and as early hoe – cultivators. Such authors are of the opinion that grown
en We fe O
peripherally in
into these e
matri StiC unit
1975 Thomso
Martin an
matri Centri C
a vegetariar
evolution. Ad
tain no perm
the Se mother.
the unit of the
V00rhieS 1975
integration of
therefore has
of Social his
fOrCes that de
social units We
Cal in nature,
above all, the - Operation. Th morrow'. We
to learn from
this knowledg
tion to the nex
experiences,
Constitute his
Women's
tO nature, aS
time, can be S
(a) Their
With their OWr
eXternal en Vir (
cal process. T
Own bodies as
Same Way a
external natur
(b) Altho nature, this a
Constitute a
nance Or a prC

nly temporarily and
ergrated or socialised
arly matric entric or
(Briffault 1952 Reed 1960).
d Voor hies argue that units coincided with
phase of hominid
ult males WOuld main
anent attachment to
child units - except to ir birth' (Martin and 1974). The permanent
males into the Se units
to be seen as a result
tory. The productive }veloped in these first }re not only technologi
but increased also and
capacity for human Co e ability to plan for toanticipate the future, One another, to pass e on from One generat and to learn from past in other words, to
tOry.
objective relationship this developed over
ummarised as follows:
nteraction with nature, nature as Well as the
nment, was a reciprohey conceived of their being productive in the s they conceived of 2 as being productive.
ugh they appropriate ppropriation does not relationship of domiperty relation. Women
are not Owners of their Own bodies or of the earth, but they co-operate With their bodies and the earth in
order to let grow and to make grow.
(c) As producers of new life they also became the first subsistence
producers and the inventors of the first productive economy, implying from the beginning social production and the creation of social relations,
i.e. of society and history.
The Myth of Man - the - Hunter
Women's productivity is the precondition of all other human productivity, not only in the sense that they are always the producers of new men and Women, but also in the
Sense that the first Social di VİSİOn Of
labour, that between female gatherers (later also cultivators) and predominantly male hunters, could take place only on the basis of a developed
female productivity.
Female productivity consisted above all in the ability to provide the daily subsistence, the guaranty of survival, for the members of the Clan
or band. Women had to Secure the
'daily bread' necessary not only for themselves and their children, but also for the men if they had no luck On their hunting 'expeditions, because hunting is an "economy of risk."
It has been proved particularly by the critical research of feminist Scholars, that the survival of mankind has been due much more to 'Woman - the - gatherer' than to 'man - the - hunter in Contrast to what is preached by social Darwinists of old or new. Even
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 03

Page 6
am Ong existing hunters and gatherers Women provide up to 80% of the daily food, Whereas men Contribute Only a Small portion by hunting (Lee and de Vore 1976, quoted by Fisher 1979: 48) By a secondary analysis of a Sample of hunters and gatherers frOm Murdock's Fthnographic At/aS, Martin and Voorhies have proven that 58% Of the Sub Sisten C e Of the Se SOCieties Was provided by gathering, 25% by hunting, and the rest by hunting and gathering together (1975: 181). Tiwi WOmen in Australia, Who are both hunters and gatherers, got 50% of their food by gathering, 30% by hunting and 20% by fishing. Jane GOOdale, Who Studied the Tiwi
Women, said that bush hunting and Collecting was the most important productive activity, "the W0men not Only COuld but did provide the major daily Supply of a variety of foods to members of their Camp. Men's hunting required COinSiderable Skill and strength, but the birds, bats, fish, CrOCOdiles, dug Ong S and turtles they
COntributed t0 the hOu Seh Old Were
|UXUry items rather than Staples' (GOOdale 1971: 169).
It is Obvious from the Se examples that among hunters and gatherers hunting by no means has the eCOnomiC importance that is usually a SCribed to it, and that WOmen are the providers of the bulk of the daily staple food. In fact all hunters of big game, When they Want to go On a hunting eXpedition, depend On the Supply of food by their Women which is not produced by hunting. This is Why the Old IrOQuois Women had a Voice in decision making On War and
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 04
hunting eXpedition. If t give the men the nece Off OOd for their adven
had t0 Stay at hO 1978:19, Brown 1970)
Elizabeth Fisher gi examples of foraging Whom WOmen are the
of the daily food, pari temperate and SOUth She also argues that th Vegetable food Was m for Our early ancestors She refers to the study fOSSile eXCrementS, \ that groups Who lived agO On the French Rivie
Vived On a diet Of She
and grains, but not Of year Old Copr0lite S frO gest that millets Were food in that area (Fishe
A/th0ugh st/S Ob Vf examp/es, as We// as Sense, that humanity
St/r//Ved if man - the
duCt/Víty ha0 bee/) İh daily SubS/Stence Of É
the not/On that man - i.
the in Ventor Of the firs, Vider of food, in Ven,
SOCfety, protect Of O Ch//dren, pe/S/StS 70t //terat Ure and fi/m7S, t
SerŤOUS SOC/a/SC/e/mt/,
//a/X/st SC/0/a/S.
The 'Cultura|' aC
the Se human hunter p t0 be that they ha 'eV0|Ved') fr0m the St the Stage of eXchange exploitative dominan

they refused to
Supply ture S, the men
S Sary
me (Lea C0 Ck
VeS US further
)e OpleS am Ong main providers ti Cularly in the
ern ZOne S. But
he gathering of Ore important
than hunting. Of COprolites,
Which reveals
200,000 years ?ra, mainly Sur
||fish, mUS Se|S
meat. 12,000 - m MeXiCO sughe main Staple r 1979: 57-58).
OUS frO/m theSe
fr0/77 (C0/77/770/7
M/OU/C/I/7Oť /ha. Ve
– /hUnter's DrO
e base for I/he
Basily Societies,
he - hunter WaS
í to0/s, the pro
for Of human
if WO/776/7 and
Only in D00U/ar Uf a/S0 among SÍS, a/SO a/770/7g
hie Vement Of
rimates Seems
ave risen (Or age of rape to
of Women. The
Ce relationship
between man and WOman has been ingrained into the 'biological infraStructure'. Of the hunting behaviour. men are the providers of meat, for Which W0m en ha V e a Craving. Therefore, the hunters Were able to
Subject and Subordinate the Women permanently as Sexual Objects and WOrk-bees. What gave the hunters this
W0men Was, aCCOrding t0 these au
tremen d0uS advantage O Ver
thors, the bonding principle' , which e VO|| Ved Out Of hunting in groups. Tiger advanced the idea of the 'male bonding principle" as the root Cause Of male Supremacy in his book Men /m GrOU OS in 1969, When the USA Was
in the middle of another adventure Of
man - the - hunter, the Vietnam War. Although Tiger knew, as Evelyn Reed p0ints Out that meat - eating COnstituted Only a tiny pOrtiiOn Of the babOOn diet, he claims that hunting and meat - elating COnstitute the decisive factor in pre-human primate evolution and that male bonding patterns reflect and arise Out of man's history as a hunter. "SO, in the hunting Situation, it was the hunting group-maleplus-male-plus male which ensured the Survival of the entire productive Community. Thus was the male-male bond as important for hunting purposes as the male-female bond Was important for productive purpOSeS, and this is the baSiS fOr the
division of labour by SeX' (Tiger 1969. 122,126).
The man - the - hunter model as
the paradigm of human evolution and de Vel Opment has been the basis Of
numerous Scientific WOrks On human
affairs and has been popularised by

Page 7
the modern media. It has influenced the thinking of millions of people and is still Constantly advanced to explain the causes of Social inequality. Feminist Scholars have challenged the validity of this model On the basis of their OWn research and that Of Other S. They have un masked it, including its basic premises Of the male bonding principle, the importance of meat as food etc...., as a Sexist projection of modern, Capitalist and imperialist Social relations into pre-history and earlier history. This projecti On Serves t0 legitimize existing relations Of
exploitation and
d'Ominan Ce b et We en men and Women, Classes and peoples, as univer Sal, timele SS and 'natural'. Evelyn Reed has rightly den Ounced the hidden fascist Orientation behind the model, particularly in the Writings of Tiger and his glorification of War
(Reed 1978).
Although We are able to de-mystify the man-the-hunter hypothesis and to show that the great hunters WOuld not have been able even to survive had it not been for the daily Subsistence production of the Women, We are still faced with the question why Women, in spite of their Superior economic productivity as gatherers and early agriculturistS, were not able to prevent the establishment of a hierarchical and exploitative relationship between the
S6X6S.
The earliest tools of mankind, the stOne axes and Scrapers, Were of an ambivalent character, They could be used to grind, Smash, and pulverize
grains and Othe to dig Out roots be u Sed t0 ki|| S.
Can a SSume tha
men and W Omer
The digging Were the maint Well as for early mUSt have CO nti nology while SC Specialised hunt
What is im W0m en "S te C}
productive in th Word: they produ Hunting technic hand, is not prO equipment prop any Other produ the StOne axe. B
Spears, are basi ruction. Their si
fact that not On
to kill animals, human beings. It of the hunting decisive in the
of male produc une qual exploita not the fact that
erS Of meat We
Standards Of
Community.
The emerge hunting technol implied the pos. relationship of d tation. It seems
hunters remain limited hunting they could not re

Vegetable food and but they could also mal animals, and We they were used by for both purposes.
Stick and the hoe pols for gathering as agriculture. Women nued With their te Ch
me men developed ing t00||S.
) Ortant here is that
n0 || 0 gy e true Sense Of the
remained
Ced something new. logy, On the Other ductive, i.e. hunting 2r Cannot be used for |ctive activity-unlike OWS and arr OWS, and cally means of destgnificance lies in the ly can they be used Out als0 to kill Other
is this chara cteristic
IOOS Which became
'urther development tivity as Well as of tive SOcial relations,
hunters as providre able to raise the
nutrition Of the
nce of a Specialised Ogy, therefore, Only 'ibility of establishing Ominance and exploithat as long as the 2d Confined to their - gathering COntext alise the exploitative
potential of their predatory mode of production. Their economic Contribution was not sufficient; they remained dependent for n survival On their Women's subsistence production.
The 'productive' forces of the hunters Could fully be released only at the stage when pastoral nomads, W h 0 d. Om e Siti Cated Cattle and Women, invaded agricultural Communities. In Other Words, full realization Of the "preductive' capacity of this predatory mode of production presuppOSes the existence Of Other really
productive modes, like agri Culture.
Elizabeth Fisher Considers that patriarchal relationships between men and Women were established Only after men had discovered their Own generative capacities. This disCovery, according to her, Went hand - in - hand With the dome Sti Cati On and particularly the breeding of animals as a new mode of production. They discovered that One bull could impregnate many COWS, and this may have led to the Castration and elimination of Weaker animals. The prime bull was then used at periods that the pastoral nomads considered to be the most appropriate for impregnating the cows. Female animals Were subjected to sexual COercion. In Other Words, the free sexuality of Wild animals Was subjected t0 a C0ercive eCOnomy, based On breeding, with the Object of increasing the herds. It is plausible that the establishment of harems, the kidnapping and raping of Women, the establishment of patriarchal lines of descent and inheritance, Were part of this new mode of pro
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 05

Page 8
duction. Women Were Subjected to the same economic logic and became part of movable property, like Cattle.
This led to a change in their relati On Ship t0 nature as Well as t0 a Change in the Sexual di VisiOn Of lab Our. For past Oral nomads, Women are n0 || Onger Very important a S prOducers Or gatherers of food, as is the Case among hunters. They are needed aS breederS Of Children, particularly Of Sons. Their productivity is now ΙΘ - duced to their 'fertility' which is appropriated and Controlled by men (Cf. Fisher 1979: 248 ff.).
In Contrast to the hunters 'and gatherers' eCOnomy, which is mainly
appropriative, the
paSt Oral nOmadS economy (Sohn – R OUS, hOWever, that t du CtiOn prêSupp0Ses means Of Coercion f
ti On Of animals and
and for the extensic
Agriculturalists
lt is therefOre pri Say that the past Ori the fatherS Of a|| dOm particularly that of m But there are Sufficie Which Suggest that e Women relationships agriculturalistS, not
Golle Foce Brown And The Nigh The Pointed White Forces
When day Was giving up its ghost On Galle Face BrOWn he Was Stalking |OOking for a happy Catch
The Sea Sent Wet breeze signals Of WelCOme t0 Visitations frOm SWeat faced beings gally decked and Carrying painted White faces tO Walkin Paradise
At Galle Face BrOWn he saw
She was filled With Oy doubling in size ballOOning and the Salt Wind filling the skirt
under the new dark Sky
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 06
Which killed by the doz the stars in the heaven and the dead Coffined by black magic Raymor tight lidded in the tropi before the blue Of the fe|| int0 the Water
before the dying dissol before the making Of a in a Wind filled skirt for him a hastily made blue WC
from a herOless mind Crept Quietly in the black Of the nigh
It was then that the birthing

COnomy Of the a productive thel). It is ObViis mode of prothe existen Ce Of I r the manipulahuman beings n of territory.
bably COrrect to | nOma CdS Were
nanCe relations,
GI OV6 WОПТВ П.
nt data available Xploitative men
existed am Ong )nly after the in
It Of
en
Cheat sky
Ved and blue night WOman
man
entle Wind began
troduction of the plough, as Esther BOS erup believes. (1975) but also am Ong the hOe - Cultivators in Africa, Where even today farming is dOne mainly by Women. Mei||aSSOUX (1:1975) points Out that in Such S00.ietieS, Which he characteri SeS as eCO/70/m/eS GO/ImeStiques, the Old men Were in a p 0 Siti On t0 establish a relationship Of dOminan Ce O Ver y0unger men and Women because they could acquire more Wives to WOrk Only for them. The marriage System was the mechanism by which they accumulated WOmen and Wealth, Which in fact Were ClO Sely related.
(SOC/a/. Origins Of the Sexua/ D/VIS/On Of Labou//
every being a her O and every being a her Oine it was a great night as every night WaS giving birth to the heroic
When he was stalking at Galle Face BrOWn Catching heroines in butterfly nets she stOOd starry eyed and bewildered; the night Was Ovely
every being a her 0 and every being a heroine in the black Of the night dancing On the BrOWn like shattered glass from a Wind SCreen
Shining diamonds Of herOS and her Oine:S in the starry World Of Galle Face BrOWn
and Of the night of the Painted Faces.
Eva Ranaweera

Page 9
HALF MOON-Full MOON
Punyakante Wijenaike
| sit On a low St OO While my elder Siste, my LOku Akka reClines On the bed We share at night. Beside the bed is a large basket of flowers, all different shades, with a card of Congratulations attached from Amma and Thatha. Beside ities a Single red rose With no Card. S0nali has just passed her Advanced Level Examination With tWO A's and tWOB's to her Credit. She has jumped a major hurdle. I have baked a Cake for her with pink roses. But that will give later.
It is a day of Celebration and achievement for all of us. I am SO happy I Could Cry. I am Only fifteen years old and Will be sitting my Ordinary Level next year. My Sister's good results give me fresh hope and Courage. Then suddenly I realize she is not talking about her success at the exam. She is talking of something else.
"Now I am free," she is saying. "To be myself"
gaze at her non - plussed.
"I was waiting until the exam was Over to show my love for him," she said, "with all that Cramming I had no time to be with him. He too has passed Well and yesterday We Celebrated Our results, alone."
"Are you talking of Ravindra?" asked.
"Who else?" replied Sonali pantly.
flip
Was thİS SOn
be | O Ved elder SiS
OOked ath the Wall of Our r Stars and film Sta him as just anoth and had ne Ver Sister COuld have
"Aren't you h; proud of you?" If
"Chaithri, dOn COur Se | am glad One happy, but the has a Special and me."
Ra Vİ. She C
Ravindra.
Was this my
"Passing the for him and form
"I don't under and stubbornly, ri edge this neW pe my sister's place.
know it means Of now enter Univers fly abroad to quali he always Wante C been Opened, not
Ra Vindra lives I have often tagge b0th Of them ta I thought they h; W Ork, bOth Sitti Levels together.
" Listen to W

li tal king, Sonali my er?
S picture pasted On Om along With p0p S. I had accepted er face On the Wal|| magined my elder been in Ove.
appy that We are all ||tered.
t talk like a baby. Of I have made everypassing Of the exam meaning for Ravi
ed him RaVi nOt
sister Or a stranger?
2xam Opened a door 2." She Said.
Stand, " I said slowly afusing to acknowlrSon who had taken "Opened what door? Course that you can ity and he is free to y as an engineer, as tO. TWO doors have just One."
down Our road and behind, bored With king in Whispers. d been discussing g their Advanced
at I say." She was
Speaking Very Seri Ously nOW, and Very slowly, as if it was Way below her level of understanding. "When you reach my age and Come to love another person, you put him first before anyone else. Even before your parents and family and your best friends. Suddenly he is the most important and Only person that means everything to you. He becomes father, mOther, Sister, friend and, most Of all, yOur Over. He is you and you are he. Once you Were half and now you are whole. He and struggled to pass the Advanced Level because We needed to jump that hurdle first. NOW suddenly We have passed, Crossed the line, the bridge of uncertainty, and from being anxious children dependent on the Opinion of others, we have turned into adults no longer afraid of doing What We Want to do."
"Are you going to tell Amma and Thatha about him? Get their permission to become engaged?"
Sonalitossed her head impatiently causing her long mane of hair held by a ring Comb to shake like a horse's tail.
"LOOK Chaithri. You don't understand what I am saying. But SOOn you Will be sitting the Advanced Level yourself and then you will know. Why should we tell Or ask permission from anyone? We don't Want formal engag ements and Commitments that turn a relationship between two people into a situation where there will be inquiries and investigations into who is who and whose property will belong to whom. Next year he hopes to go abroad to qualify and I hope to enter
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 07

Page 10
University here to become a doctor. Until then Our Ove Will be a bond and Secret between Ourselves alone."
relaxed suddenly. There were no Secret plans then to change Our lives.
"We Will not Wait for Consent and marriage. Signing a register Or Standing On a poruwa holds no meaning. Yesterday We got "married' a S y Ou name it, in the real Sense. I gave him all had to give him. I surrendered my Virginity On his bed, when his parents were Out of the house, in his room behind a Closed door."
| Opened and closed my mouth like a fish thrown out of Water.
"You know about virginity, don't you little sister? Textbooks teach you don't they? And didn't Amma herself tell y Ou When you grew up, to be 'Careful' after attaining age? Did she not hide you in a room not letting any male, not even father, see you until after the first bath?"
"You mean.... y C THAT With him? But S you pregnant?" I de bluntly as she had hit
Again she tOS se ( antly. I felt she was n me, she was addre Amma, Thatha, her relatives, friends.
"I see you have If I get pregnant Ravi He gave me that pri his gift."
She pulled it out, have hidden it all thi half moon hung On a her neck. It must ha
Warm and moist betw
"He gave me this I gave him. When he On his sheet he was S
had turned him into a passing the exam, manhood. I will treasu
Was she mocking? Why was she hurting me? Did it mean that when you passed the Advanced Level you had the liberty to hurt?
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 08
as a promise, of the give me on Our Wedc We have both qualifie fields."
 

u mean you did
upp O Se it makes
ided to hit her
Ո6.
her head defiDt addressing ssing the World. School teacher,
read your books. WOn't desert me. omise along with
Where she must
S While. A silver
black Cord round ve been nestling Veen her breasts.
in return for what saw Virgin blood tartled. It proved man. More than that proved his |re this half moon
Full moon he will
ing night,
after
d in Our different
"But if you get pregnant how Will he go abroad to qualify?"
| Was being Cruel, I knew, but Somehow I felt I had to drag my sister back to reality.
She did not answer for a m0ment.
gazed, hypnotized by the half moon as it lay Cradled now in my sister's palms. Suddenly it turned from a symbol of maturity into a threat. don't know why but suddenly the black COrd from which it hung brings to my mind the Cyanide capsules hanging around Similar COrds round the necks of young rebels in the north. They too are brain Washed into Committing their young lives to a Cause that holds no future.
She senses my sudden hositily, my Withdrawal from her. She tries to ConVince me, and perhaps herself too, that she knows what she is doing. "Now don't breathe a Word to anyone about what I have Confided in you.
have prepared you for the time when you will reach the age of understanding, the age of Consent. When you are an adult you decide On your Own life."
breathed a deep, deep sigh of relief. Not because may become like her One day but because I am Only fifteen and still waiting to pass Ordinary Level Exam. I am glad don't have to turn away from my parents and make my OWn decisions. I am glad time is yet before me.
She moves to the telephone. hear her making a new date to meet him. She moves with Confidence, speaks with Confidence.

Page 11
"I can tell Amma that I am spend- When We W ing the night With Naula. Don't WOrry. ber my elder si. | Will Warn Naula to Confirm my lie in drowning ants fr Case Amma decides to check up On overnight she ha me. She Cannot seem to a CCept that Ravindra matte am almost eighteen, and Still tries to She is not worr
protect me." the gloriOus prO
go Out of Our room. That way tiOn Well passe (
will not know what she is doing and will not be compelled to lie. But what if she does get pregnant? Will Ravindra sacrifice his career abroad and Stay home tO mind the baby? Will his par- || Will ask A ents permit him to? If she knows so into the spare
much why doesn't she take precau- room, for a while tions not to Conceive? Yes, have stud- to study for the
ied my text bOOKS alth Ough She may can't do so with not have. I can warn her but that would talking to her mean I am Collabor ating with her, being disloyal to Our parents.
| Can Still he the telephone. blind as well as
phone. That Way ing her, nor Will
If she gets pregnant will they Will not be inve
destroy the life they Created? may happen in t
Dawn of lechnology
Evelyn Reed From this
history can be d epochs: the foc The quest for food is the most which extende Compelling Concern of any society, for thousands of yea no higher forms of labour are possible ducing epoch, W unless and until people are fed, invention of agr Whereas animals live On a day to day eeding, not mu basis of food hunting, humanity had to years ago. Win Some mea Sure Of Control Over its food supply if it was to move forward In the food - and develop. Control means not only first division sufficient food for today but a surplus simple. It is gen for tomorrow, and the ability to pre- sexual division, Serve Stocks for future use. between the fe

-re younger rememter helping me Save m a wash-basin. But s changed. Now Only S, not even herself. ed about her future, Mise 0f an examina
ir her whispering int0 ) Oes love make you Selfish?
nma to let me move
room, next to their ... I will tell her need Ordinary Level and uther disturbing me riends. On the tele| Will not be betraybe lying either. And ved in anything that he near future.
standpoint, human ivided into tWO main ld gathering epoch, 0V er hundreds of rs; and the food prohich began with the Culture and Stockbrh more than 8,000
gathering epoch, the f | ab Our was Very rally described as a or division of labour
hale and male sexes.
I am deserting my sister but then, hasn't she deserted me?
I feel sad for her. She has toppled down from the pedestal upon which had placed her, Worshipped her. HOW can it be that at the Ordinary Level amable to see so much more than she after passing the Advanced Level? Her head is in the clouds. Passing the AdVanced Level does not mean you know about life itself. How can One person block your view of the rest of the World Can a half moon throw SuffiCient light on the situation? |sn't it better to wait for the light of a full moon to be able to see clearly?
think of the single red rose lying On her bedside table with no Card from the Sender. To me it appears already
to be wilting...
(Children COntributed their share as Soon as they were old enough, the girls being trained in female Occupations and the boys in male Occupations.) The nature of this division of lab Our Was a differentiation between the Sexes in the methods and kinds of food gathering. Men were the hunters of big game - a full time Occupation which took them away from home or Camp for longer Or Shorter periods of time. Women were the Collectors of vegetable products around the Camp Or dwelling places.
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 09

Page 12
NOW it must be understood that, with the exception of a few specialized areas in the World at Certain historical stages, the most reliable Sources for food supplies were not animal (supplied by the man) but vegetable (Supplied by the Woman). As Otis TuftOn Mas On Write S:
"Where Ver tribes Of mankind have gOne, Women have found Out that great staple productions were to be their Chief reliance. In Polynesia it is taro, Or breadfruit. In Africa it is the palm and tapi Oca, millet Or yams. In Asia it is rice. In Europe, Cereals. In America Corn and potatoes or acorns and pinions in some places."
Alexander GOlden Wei Ser make S the same point:
"Everywhere the Sustenance of this part of the household is more regularly and reliably provided by the efforts Of the home – b0und W0man than by those of her roving hunter husband Or Son. It is, in fact, a familiar spectacle among all primitive peoples that the man, returning home from a more Or less arduous Chase, may yet reach home empty-handed and himself longing for food. Under Such-COnditions, the Vegetable Supply Of the family has to serve his needs as Well as thOS e Of the re St Of the hOu Seh Old." (Anthropology)
Thus the most reliable Supplies of food were provided by the WOmen C0||eCtOrS, n0t the men hunter S.
But Women Were also hunters - hunters Of What is known as SOW game and Small game. In addition, to digging up rootS, tuberS, plants, etC., they collected grubs, bugs, lizards, m0|| USCS and Sma|| animal S Su Ch a S
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 10
hares, marsupials, etC the Women was of C
tanCe. FOr muCh Of t| was brought back to and these animals pro for the first experien ment S in animal tamir
Cati On.
Thus it was in the F that the all - importan animal domestication Were ultimately Clima reeding. And this dome roots in maternity. MaSOn Writes.
"NOW the fir St dC simply the adoption C fancy. The young kid O. brought to the home C is fed and Cares Sd by her Children, and even r brea St. Innumerable re be given to her Caging Creatures... Women a SSOCiated especially W flee Ce-giving Species nimals"
While One aspect C gathering activity WaS the di SCOvery of animal another aspect Was lea CO Very Of agri Cultu W0 men's lab0ur in ply|| Sticks - One Of the earl manity - tO pro Cure ground. To this day, in areas Of the WOrld, th remains as in Separab W Oman a S her bab ShOShOne Indians of N ming, fOr eXample, W { they were called "The White men, be Cau Se ployed this technique Supplies.

This activity of ecisive imporis small game he Camp alive, vided the basis ce and experig and domesti
ands of Women techniques of
began, which Xed in Stockb
Stication had its
On this SCOre,
meStication is f helpless inlamb Or Calf is
if the hunter. It
the mother and
Ourished at her ferences might and taming Wild
Were always rith the milk and
Of dOme StiC a
f Women's f00d thus leading to domesti Cati On, ding to the di Sre. This Was ng their digging est tOOls Of hu
food from the
Ome backward e digging Stick 2 a part of the y. When the Vada and VyO!re di SCO Vered, Diggers" by the they Still emSeCuringf00d
And it was through this digging Stick activity that Women ultimately di SCOV ered agri Culture. Sir James Frazer gives a good description of this process in its earliest stages. Using the natives of Central Victoria, Australia, aS an example, he Write S.
"The implement which they used to dig rootS With Was a pole Seven Or eight feet long, hardened in the fire and pointed at the end, Which also served them as a Weapon of Offence and defense. Here We may detect Some of the steps by which they advanced from digging to Systematic Cultivation Of the soil.
"The long Stick is driven firmly into the ground, where it is shaken SO as to loosen the earth, which is scooped up and thrown Out with the fingers of the left hand and in this manner they dig with great rapidity. But the labour in proportion to the amount gained, is great. To get a yam about half an inch in circumference, they have to dig a hole about a foot Square, and two feet in depth. A considerable portion of the time Of the WOmen and Children is therefore passed in this employment.
"In fertile di Strict S, Where the yams grOW abundantly, the ground may be riddled with holes; literally perforated with them. The effect of digging up the earth in the search for roots and yams has been to enrich and fertilize the soil, and to increase the Crop of roots and herbs. Winn Owing Of the Seeds On the ground which has thus been turned up With the digging Sticks WOuld naturally COntribute t0 the Same result. It is Certain that Winn Owing Seeds, Where the Wind Carried SOme Of the Seeds away, bore fruit."
In the COur Se Of time, the Women

Page 13
learned how to aid nature by weeding Out the garden patches and protecting the growing plants. And finally, they learned how to plant seeds and Wait for them to grOW.
N0t Only Were quantity and quality improved, but a Whole series of new species of plants and vegetables were brought into existence. ACCOrding to Chappel and C00n:
"Through Cultivation, the selective process had produced many new speCies Or profoundly altered the character of the Old. In Melanesia pe Ople grOW yams six feet long and a foot Or more thick. The miserable roots Which the AU stralian digs wild from the ground i S n0 mOre VOlumin OuS than a Cigar." ( Principles of AnthbpOloy)
Mason sums up the steps taken in agriculture as follows:
"The evolution of primitive agriculture was first through seeking after Vegetables, to moving near them, weeding them Out, sowing the seed, Cultivating them by hand, and finally the US e Of farm anima||S."
ACCOrding to Gordon Childe, every Single food plant of any importance, as well as other plants such as flax and COttOn, Was di SCO Vered by W0 men in the pre - Civilized epoch.
The discovery of agriculture and the domestication of animals made it possible for mankind to pass beyond the food gathering epoch into the food - producing epoch, and this combinati On represented humanity's first Conquest Over its food supplies. This Conquest was achieved by Women. The great Agricultural Revolution, which provided the food for beast as
Well as man, achievement of ing their diggin
T0 gain C0I ply, however, m relying upon na required, above upon her own la and her OWn Ca
and invention. all the parti Cula tion appropriat plant Or grain. T techniques of t grinding, etc., Cial tools and for tilling the SC the Crop, and t food.
In Other W0
CO ntro OVer the
resulted in a de
ture, but also first es Sentials
Science. As Ma
"The Who
WOman WaS bu Supplies. From t to procure ther food is served a
Of trades that a
Of the environn
The firSt di
tWeen the SeXe a simplified an The men, it is s and Warri OrS; W in the Camp Or the Children, C thing else.
This descri the notion that t Was simply a m

WaS the CrOWning Women's labour in ply| Sticks.
trol of the food Supeant more than simply Iure and its fertility. It all, WOman's reliance bour, her Own learning pacities for innovation Women had to find Out |r methods of Cultivae to each species of hey had to acquire the re shing, Winnowing, ind invent all the spemplements necessary il, reaping and storing hen COnverting it into
'ds, the struggle to Win } food supply not Only Velopment Of agricul2d to Working Out the in man ufacturing and SOn Writes:
e industria || ||ife Of it up around the food ne first jo urney On foot aW materials until the ld eaten, there is a line e COntinu 0 US and b0rn
ent."
vision of labour bes is often described in I misleading formula. aid, Were the hunters hile the Women stayed |Welling h0uSe, rai Sed poked and did every
ti On has given rise tO he primitive household )re primitive Counter
part of the modern home. While the men were providing all the necessities of Society, the Women were merely puttering around in the kitchens and nurseries. Such a Concept is a gross distortion of the facts.
Aside from the differentiation in food - getting, there was virtually no division Of labour between the Sexes in all the higher forms of production - for the simple reas On that the Whole industrial life of primitive SOciety was lodged in the hands of the Women. Cooking, for example, was not COOking as We know it in the modern individual home. COOking Was Only One technique which Women acquired as the result of the discovery and Control Of fire and their mastery of directed heat.
All animals in nature fear fire and flee from it. Yet the di SCOvery Of fire dates back at least half a million years ago, before humanity became fully human. Regarding this major Conquest, Gordon Childe Writes:
"In mastery Offire man Was COntrolling a mighty physical force and a Conspicuous chemical Change. For the first time in history a Creature of Nature Was directing One of the great fOrCes Of Nature. And the exerCise Of power must react upon the Controller... In feeding and damping down the fire, in transporting and using it, man made a revolutionsary departure from the behaviour of Other animals. He was asserting his humanity and making himself" (Man Makes Himself)
All the basic COOking techniques which followed upon the disCOvery of fire - broiling, boiling, roasting, baking, Steaming, et C. - Were developed
by the Women. These techniques
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 11

Page 14
involved a Continuous experimentation with the properties of fire and directed heat. It was in this experimentation that women developed the techniques Of preserving and Conserving food for future use. Through the application of fire and heat, Women dried and preserved both animal and vegetable food for future needs.
But fire represented much more than this. Fire Was the t00 Of tOOS in primitive SOCiety, it can be equated to the Control and use of electricity or even at Omic energy in modern SOCiety. And it was the Women, who developed all the early industries, who likewise uncovered the uses of fire as a tool in their industries.
The first industrial life of Women Centred around the food supply. Preparing, Conserving and preserving food required the invention Of all the neCessary Collateral equipment. ContainerS, uten Sil S, O Vens, StOrage hOuSe S, etC. The WOmen were the builders Of the first caches, granaries and Storehouses for the provisions. Some Of these granaries they dug in the ground and lined with Straw. On Wet, marshy ground they Constructed Storehouses On poles above the ground. The need to protect the food in granaries from Vermin resulted in the dO mesti Cati On Of another animal - the Cat. Mas On Writes.
"In this role of inventing the granary and protecting food from Vermin, the World has to thank Women for the dOme Sti Cati On Of the Cat. VVOman tamed the Wild cat for the protection Of her granaries."
It Was the Women, to 0, Who Separated Out pois0n OuS and injuri0 US Substances in foods. In the process, they
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 12
Often used directed h Was inedible in the na new food supply. Tc again.
" There are in ma Which in the natura | S Sonous or extremely a The Women Of the Se la COvered independent heating drives off th disagreeable element.
ManioC, for examp in its natura | State. E Converted this plant in Supply through a COmp of Squeezing Out its p O ties in a basketry preSS its residue by heating.
Many inedible pl stances were put to US in their industrial proC Verted intO medi Ci McKenzie |ists hundre pathic remedies di SCO" tive W0 men through knowledge of plant life. are Still in USe With (
Other S ha V e been improved up On. Am ( important substances narcotic properties.
VVOmen di SCOVere the properties of pine tine; and Of Chaulm00g day is a remedy for invented homeopathic acacia, al COhOl, almO balsam, betel, Caffeine, way, digitalis, gum, ba en der, lin Seed, par S pOmegranate, poppy, r Sugar, W0ir MW00 d, more. Depending up On ra | Sub Stan CeS Were

at to turn What
ural State int0 a quote Mason
hy lands plants tate are poirid or pungent. ldS haVe al di S| that boiling or e pois0n OUS Or
e, is pois0n OUS ut the W0 men O a Staple food licated process
SOn OUS properand driving Out
ants and Sub2 by the Women
eSSeS, Or COnne S. Dr. Dan 2 dS Of hOmeOvered by primitheir intimate
Some of these
) ut alterati On; Only slightly Ing these are
USed for their
l, for example, as and turpena Oil, Which toleprosy. They remedies from hd, asafoetida, Camphor, Cara“ley Water, la Vley, pepper S, ubarb, Senega, and hundreds
Where the natuf0und, the Se
inventi OnS COme from SOuth Ameri Ca, Africa, North America, China, Europe, Egypt, etc.
The W0 men Converted anima Substances as Well as Vegetable Sub Stan C e S int0 reme die S. FOr example, they Converted Snake Venom into a Serum to be used against Snake bites (an equivalent preparation made today from Snake Venom is known as "anti Vene").
In the industries Connected with the food supply, vessels and Containers of all types were required for holding, Carrying, C00king, and St Oring food, as well as for Serving food and drink. Depending up On the natura|| en Vir Onment, the Se V e SS els Were made of Wood, bark, skin, pleated fibres, leather, etc. Ultimately women di SCO Vered the technique Of making pots Out of clay.
Fire Was USed as at OO in the making of WOOden vessels. Mason gives a description of this technique; and it can be easily understood how the same technique was extended to the manufacture of the first Canoes and Other sailing Craft:
"They burned Out the hollow part, keeping the fire carefully checked and CO ntrOled Then the Se marVell'OUS Jills-at-all-trades removed the fire and brushed Out the debris with improvised brooms Of grass. By means Of a scraper of flint which she had made, She dug away the CharCOal until She had exposed a clean Surface of WOOd. The firing and scraping were repeated until the dugout assumed the required form. The trough Completed, it was ready to do the boiling for the family aS SOOn as the meat COuld be prepared and the Stones heated."

Page 15
In this remarkable Conversion, a substance, Wood, which is ordinarily Consumed by fire, was fashioned into a vessel for Cooking food over fire.
The industries of Women, which arose Out of the struggle to control the food supply, soon passed beyond this limited range. As One need was satisfied, neW needs ar0 Se, and the Se in turn were satisfied in a rising spiral of needs and new products. And it was in this production of new needs as well as new products that women laid down the foundation for the highest Culture tO COme.
Science arOse side by side With the industry of women. Gordon Childe points out that to convert flour into bread requires a whole series of COllateral inventions, and alSO a knOW|- edge of bio-chemistry and the use of the micro-organism, yeast. The same knowledge of bio-chemistry which produced bread likewise produced the first fermented liquors. Women, Childe States, must also be Credited with the chemistry of potmaking, the physics of spinning, the mechanics of the loom and the botany of flax and Cotton.
COrdage may appear to be a Very humble trade, but Cordage weaving was simply the beginning of a whole Chain of industries Which Culminated in a great textile industry. Even the making of COrdage requires not only manual skill, but a knowledge of Selecting, treating and manipulating the materials used.
"The Weaving of bark and grass fibres by primitive woman is often so marvellous that it could not be imitated by man at the present day, even with the reSOur Ces Of machinery, The SO-Called Panama hats, the best Of
which can be through a fin example." (Th
Women W workers of p were also the goods and eq ticated animal part of their backs that prin effected. They raw materials |
but entire hOU
moved from Ol
When WO they had no o had to learnev through their C tent effortS. they probably
But be CaU
labour in SO h
historianS ha\
industries as m
Or handi Crafts.
machines Wer
no other kind ( Before special veloped in the Was no Other
hold". With Out
their handi Cra the Middle Ag intO eXisten Ce
Whole moder
farms and Stre
CO me int0 eXis
When WO they pulled me kingdom. They labour and the
the prime mov Out of the ape Side With the

crushed and passed er ring, are a familiar
Mothers)
ere not only the skilled imitive society. They haulers and drayers of ipment. Before domesS released Women from
| Oad S, it Wa S On their itive transportation WaS Conveyed not Only the Jsed in their industries, seholds of goods being he place to another.
men began their labour, ne to teach them. They (erything the hard way - Iwn Courage and persisSome Of the first hints
took from nature itself.
Se Women began their umble a fashion, many /e presented Women's erely "household Crafts"
The fact is that before e developed there was of Craft than hand Craft.
ized factories were de
tOWns and Cities, there factory but the "house
the Se hOus ehOldS and fts, the great guilds of 2S COuld not have COme Nor, indeed, Could the n World Of mechanized
dmlined in dustries have
ten Ce.
men began their labour nkind Out Of the animal
Were the initiators of Originators of industry - er that lifted humanity - like state. And side by ir |ab Our there ar OS e
speech. As Engels points Out:
"The development of labour necessarily helped to bring the members of society closer together by multiplying Cases of mutual Support and joint activity... the Origin of language from and in the process of labour is the Only Correct One. First Comes labour, after it and then side by side with it, articulate speech."
While men undoubtedly developed some speech in Connection with the Organized hunt, the decisive development of language arose out of the labour activity of the Women. As Mason Writes:
"Women, having the whole round of industrial arts on their minds all day and every day, must be held to have invented and fixed the language of the same. Dr. Brinton, in a private letter, says that in most early languages not Only is there a Series of expressions belonging to the Women, but in variOUS places We find a language belonging to the Women quite apart from that Of the men.
"Savage men in hunting and fishing are kept alone, and have to be quiet, hence their taciturnity. But Women are together and Chatter all day long. Apart from the Centres of Culture, Women are Stil the best di Ctİ Onarie S, talkerS and letter Writers."
What labour and speech represented, first of all and above everything else, was the birth of the human Collective. Animals are obliged, by nature's laws, to remain in individualistic Competition with One another. But the WOmen, through labour, displaced nature's relationships and instituted the new, human relationships of the
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 13

Page 16
labour Collective. Thus the crowning achievement of Women's labour was the building and Consolidation of the first great human Collective. In displacing animal individualism with Collective life and labour, they placed an un bridgeable gulf betWeen human society and the animal kingdom. They WOn the first great Conquest of mankind - the humanizing and socializing Of the animal.
It was in and through this great Work that Women became the first W OrkerS and farmer S; the first SCientists, doctors, architects, engineers, the first tea CherS nUrSeS, artistS, histOrians and transmitters of SOCial and Cultural heritage. The households they managed were not simply the Collective kitchens and sewing rooms; they Were also the first factories, Scientific labOratOrie S, medi Cal Centre S, SChOOS and social Centres. The power and prestige of WOmen, which arOse, Out Of their materna | fun Citi OnS , Were
climaxed in the glorious r S0 Cially useful lab0ur aC
The discovery of agri WOmen, and their d0 me{ Cattle and Other large ani about the em ancipatio from their hunting life. then reduced to a Sp Were freed for edu Cati Or
in the industrial and Cult COmmunities. Through th food Supplies, populatio ma di C Camp SiteS Were into Settled village evolving into towns and
But unlike the WOmer
have tO Start frOm fir St b a short time, they bega learn all the Skilled C
WOmen but to make Va ments in tOOls, equipme nology. They initiated a Of ne W in Venti On S and Agriculture tOOk a great
Voice of Women.
December 1997. Page 14
 

ecord Of their ivity.
Culture by the ;ti Cation Of mals, brought Of the men Hunting Was Ort, and men and training ral life of the
e inCreaSe in ns greW. No
transformed
Dentres, later
Cities.
, men did n0t eginnings. In n not Only to rafts Of the ast improvenit and te Ch
Whole Series
innovation S. step forward
With the invention of the plough and the use Of domesti Cated anima||S.
But the Agricultural Revolution, brOught ab Out by the WOmen, marks the dividing line between the food - gathering and food - producing epochs. By the same token, it marks the dividing line between Savagery and CiviliZation. Still further, it marks the emergence Of a new SOCial System and a reVer Sal in the e COmO miC and SO Cia leadership role of the sexes.
The neW COnditi Ons, Which began With food abundance for mounting populations, released a new productive force, and With it, new productive relati On S. The Old diVi SiOn Of lab Our between the Sexes was displaced by a neW Serie S Of SOCia di Vi SiOnS Of lab Our. Agri Cultura ab Our beCame Separated from urban industrial labour, Ski ed ab Our from Un Skilled And WOmen's lab Our WaS gradually taken
OVer by the men.
*S

Page 17
CULTIVATING TECHNC
Wishakha Hiddelage Policy DirectO/, /intermediate /echno/- ogy. Sri Lanka.
Women's Contribution to agriculture in Sri Lanka has always been high. But until recently this Contribution was devalued mainly because it was looked at as "helping the men in their work." Thus, Women's Work in the fields was Seen aS an eXtension Of their domestic duties. "A Woman takes the tea or
/unch to her husband and While he
rests, She Works in the fe/d. Women, Of COUrse, do the harvesting ..... bl/t then its enfo/ab/e Work for them, this is how they socialise. Women anyhOM/ CO//eCf Water for the shOme. Of COUrse She Wi/Water the Vegetable p/ot too..... " Such Opinions disregarded the Contribution Women make in the agricultural sector. What was even more devalued Was the COntribution they made by processing agriCultural produce. In many Crops, One link in the process is often handled mostly by Women. Drying green gram pods, deCOrticating Cashew nuts, prepairing and storing seeds for the next cultivation, and planting of most highland CrOpS are SOme examples.
Over the years, through in-depth studies, the understanding of the time Women Spend in agriculture related WOrk and the nature of the Work they do has improved. It is now accepted that Women's Contribution to the agricultural Sector is very high.
Parallel to this runs the develop
ment Of te Ch
Sector. Until
SeCtOf WaS
traditional t0 aC Cept tha technologies Cept of mana Ut///Singnatur Control pests
Control growt and the use (
fertiliser are S
With induS
invaded the
Chines that W
sensitivity to ing nature. T machines Wa ity by helping le SS time.
 

LOGY DEVELOPMENT
hology in the agricultural recently the agricultural Otally dependent On the technologies. One has t most Of the traditional
Were based On the COniging nature rather than e. Making use of birds to , using Water le Vel S t0
h of Weed in paddy fields, f agricultural residue as Ome examples. However,
machines agricultural fields - ma'ere developed with little
the Concept of managhe primary aim of many s to increase productivfarmers do more Work in
rialisation,
Once again, Over the years people have realised the adverse effects of using inappropriate machinery. NOW, the agricultural Sector is more COnScious Of the need to develop appropriate machines and technology prOCesses that help farmers meet the market demands of the present economy, as Well as help them man
age their resources better.
This case study from the Agro Processing Programme of Intermediate Technology Development Group, Sri Lanka (ITSL) examines Women's COntributi On t0 SuStainable te Chn0|- Ogy development in One section of the agricultural Sector, and the challenges Women face in this. The Case study is drawn from the technology development Work with Small scale Cashew
prO CeSSOr S.
The industry...........
Cashew is a SeaSOnal CrOp, Spanning Over three to four months starting fr0m March - April t0 June - July. Cashew is found in abundance in the dry Zone. During the Off season of Cashew, a few other cash Crops like green gram, COWpea, Water mell 0n, Chillies and COrn are Cultivated On the
same land. But the main incomes Of many families in areas such as Vantha VilluWa are from CasheW - re
lated Work.
Cashew processing in Sri Lanka is Carried Out mainly as a micro level Cottage industry. Nearly 99% of the Cashew processors are women and
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 15

Page 18
they use traditional processing techniques.
When TSL intervened in this sector, most of the Women in Gampaha and Vanathavilluwa (these are the project Sites) work as hired hands for middlemen Wh0 have ContaCts With the markets. About five percent proCessed Cashew as a self employment. They bought raw nuts from middlemen and sold the Shelled nuts a SO to middlemen. ܫܠ
Working with these Small scale Cashew processing women, TSL was able to discern the key features that affect the Small scale Cashew processing sector. Some of these are:
The women were using traditional/basic technology to shell cashew
This meant sun drying in the Open and then shelling it. The Cashew nut liquid shell causes skin irritation. But the Only protection the women used for their hands Was a Wrap of rags. Their hands Were often tainted brown.
Nearly all the Women had a very resigned attitude tOWards this di SComfort / health risks in this process.
Use of sow - quality devices to obtain a higher price -
Once Sun dried, the Shell Of the raw nut is kept on a large stOne half buried in the ground and beaten with a Small iron rod to Open it f not handled adeptly this damages the nut, at times breaking it in tWO Or three pie Ces. Whole nuts fetch a higher price. The WOmen are encouraged by the middlemen to paste the broken nuts to make it seem Whole. The WOmen use flour, Sago Or even glues
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 16
and chemicals that may the health of the people were more skilled in niques than in shelling t
Casћеиv processors a of rose in the market
0 V er 99% Of the cashew processors are the Se WOmen Were una strength as a group. Eac herself as One person many difficulties to eke O course her neighbour / prob/ems...... bu/t Wha do...... "The Women Wr
hired hands saw the pri ing the Shelled CasheW is beyond their capacity it their task was to shell
as p OSSible everyday.
The feW W0 men Cashew for a self emplo handed Over the shelled member of the family W. middleman in the area
been instanCeS Where
handled the market link, tOr Cycle When the Sale
While the Women in th
spent hours shelling Ca get any extra benefits.
The Cashew ind
recognised the middlem
M/0/79/7's feC/7/7/ca/ Cá
this industry was uma Æoth by Women and t actors in the industry
W0men Wh0 Carried
nology process of prepa
t0 meet market Standa
giVen due COn Siderati O them Sel VeS Were una V

be harmful to for this. Many pasting techechniques.
/62 III/I7á7//a//69
Sma SCale
WOmen. But
Ware of their
h was seeing Indergoing SO ut a living. "Of had the Same
it could they 10 W Orked a S
OCeSS Of Sell
as a task that
· AS they saw
as many nuts
Wh O Sheed
yment often nuts to a male
no took it to a
There ha Ve
the SOn Who
bOught a mo2.S in CreaSed, e family who She W did not
ustry itself en upwards.
pacity im Termined, he other key
Out the te Ch
aring the nuts rds Were not
n. The Women
Vare Of their
C
technical capacity. Very few recognised their skill at processing Cashew as a technical capacity. This Created a lack of interest, among Women, to develop their skill technology in this work.
Poor access to information that can expand their growth in the industry
Information On technology that Can help ease their WOrk, and Credit facilities that are more favourable to them did not reach the Women proCessing CasheW. The information flow On the technology and market aspects Were anyhow informal, and often came from export dealers to middlemen. Since Women Were not involVed in marketing they had no access to this information.
Technology development.......
TSL began experimenting With a tray dryer that can be used in the Cashew industry in early 1993. A dryer developed by ITD G, the mother Organisation of TSL, for small scale food processors of Latin America was adapted for this. The technology was tested and further adapted with the Small scale Cashew processors in Gampaha and Vanathavilluwa.
The first request for "a technology On Ovening" came from Gampaha through the Credit programme of SarVOdaya. Inquiries into this request ShoWed the AgrO PrO CeS sing Programme of TSL that the need was actua|| y a techn0|| Ogy t0 dry the CasheW. Thus, the tray dryer was set up in Madelgamuwa in Gampaha - a Site Selected by the Small Scale Cashe W prO CeSS OrS Wh0 are mainly WOmen. Experiments Were Carried Out

Page 19
and Women were shown how to use the dryer.
However, after a while We realised that the Women were not using the dryer, but had turned back to the Original method they were using earlier. Discussions with them gave us an insight into the problem.
The Women had decisive technology preferences. We had disregarded this
The Women Wanted an Owen and We gave them a dryer. We explained the difference and the need for this choice. But perhaps we did not explain enough. We knew what was technologically better and expected them to take Our Word for it. But the Women had their own perceptions. Space Should have been Created for them to voice their doubts of Our choice. Space Should have been made available for them to examine the practicality and profitability of their idea.
Whe Women had simfied market Contacts and a margina/ profit. Ihey Wese mot in an eCOmOm/C DOS/t/O/) ÍO be a Ctive participants in a technology de Ve/-
ODment eXperiment.
We used a kerosene Stove for the tray dryer. The Women were afraid the Smell Of kerOSene Will be abSOrbed in the cashew and thereby lower the quality of the CasheW. This Would spoil the markets they already have and they Wanted t0 Se|| a S mu Ch Ca She W a S pOSSible.
The tray dryer was different from the Small Sophisticated Ovens used by the businessmen in the area. It was larger and did not look as SophistiCated. This gave the impression that the technology of the machine may be
questi0nable. Til did not Want to
the Ca She W dri became Spoilt. t0 reimbur.Se t spoilage. But th not shared With they were expe the project on a
In Our di SC
W0m en On te Ch
needs We realis
sensitive enoug ity & Commitme rice boiling in t This Commitmer
Of their decision Ways increase We /Ose What W
OnCe the Se
TSL further de meet the newly tray dryer acquir developments ic
the Very acc back from the Gampaha.
These feature.
O The Size C
reduced. The ne third of the Orig
O The dryer W tWO StOVeS that
duSt. This als 0 tional Costs by Thereby it Contr environment in
SaW du St USua|\ by the roadside en VirOnmenta || h
Identifying 0p
The Pro

e W0 men pr0CeSSOTS risk a financial OSS if ed in the neW dryer he project was ready e Cost of possibles S in formation Was
the Women because cted to participate in n equal basis.
USSions, later, with nology develo p ment ed that We Were not n to their responsibilnt to have the pot of heir homes everyday. it Was Often the basis making. "Wils the new 9լյr /ոC0me..... Or Wil/ 'e already have.... ?"
gaps were detected, veloped the dryer to identified needs. The ed tWO very significant lentified as a result of
Jrate and honest feed
Women's group in
S MVee
if the tray dryer was W model was only One na || SİZe.
as now equipped With used paddy husk /saw Cut dOWn the Operausing Waste material. ibuted to improve the he area (Paddy husk/ is Collected in heaps , often becoming an azard).
portunftfes
ect Spread to
Vanatha Villuwa in 1994. Cashew is the main Crop that is grown here. Over 90% of the families in this area are dependent On Cashew - related Work for their livelihood. Vanathavilluwa, in the north of Puttalam district is part of the dry zone of the country. Poor rainfall, lack of irrigation facilities and poor soil Conditions make the area for paddy Cultivation.
un Suitable
In Vanathavilluwa, shelling Cashew is a relatively newly acquired skill for Women. Until about 10 years ago men and Women in the area were selling raw Cashew nuts to traders who came mainly from Gampaha. These middlemen shelled, roasted or dried these and sold them at a higher price to larger Companies and export dealers. Thus, the middlemen in Gampaha thrived On the sale of Cashew While the families in Vanatha villuwa were earning a meagre in C0 me On this.
The skill of shelling cashew spread t0 VanathavilluWa When a resident from Gampaha settled down in Vanathavilluwa. This informal spread of technology took SOme time to take r00t. Ar 0 und 1993, ab 0ut fifteen pe Ople Were Shelling Ca She W in Vanathawilluwa. However, they still sold their produce to the traders from Gampaha who had the market links. As Cashew processing began to develop, middlemen set up business in Vanatha Villwa. They employed Women tO Work as hired Cashew processors. This Was time Consuming, back breaking monoton OUS Work. And the Women received Only a meagre pay for it. A hired processor was paid about thirty rupees for One thousand cleaned nuts. An experienced Worker earned about One hundred rupees a day.
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 17

Page 20
More Women did want to start Cashew processing as a self employment but they did not have enough
money to purchase a stock of raw .
Cashew during the season. It was then that the Rural Regional Development Bank (RRDB) stepped in and encouraged WOmen to form into small groups and access financial support from the bank. This Credit programme, Suru, gave 5000 rupees for every member, eVery year, tO purChase raW CasheW during the season. This, they hoped, WOuld help the processors to maintain a Stock Of Cashew With them through Out the year, which they could process and sell during the Off seaSOn, when the prices are high. Given at an interest rate of 14%, in 1994, this loan was considerably low when Compared with the Commercial rates. A maximum loan of 20,000 rupees Were available to those Who ShOWed
a high repayment rate.
Suru was indeed a very useful Credit facility for the Women who were totally dependent on this as Capital for purchasing Cashew Stocks for Self employment. But problems Cropped up. 5000 rupeeS Was not enough to purchase a stock of Cashew large enough to spread Over the year. When the Stock Was Over, the WOmen were Once again Compelled to Work as hired hands for middlemen. This meant that
in the long term nothing had really changed.
M0re problematic Was the issue of the loan in two instalments. By the time the Second in Stament Was released, it was nearly end of July - the end of the Cashew Season. The Women had no opportunity to buy the raw nuts at a low price. Their profit from selling shelled nuts was marginal, and therefore they saw no point
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 18
in purchasing raW nu
SOn rate.
TSL came to V, this stage. We soon a situation where a Vention can spin off tive developments. I that the tray dryer to introduced in Vanatha
dryer would help the Cessors t0 dry the nu sell these directly nies or export marke
TSL began worki and the small groups bank. A number of C
held With the Small about the Cashew pro Sri Lanka and interni perience in Gampaha Value Of di SCUS sing e project with the Con be Our partners.
Seventeen proce try out the tray dryer ber Was Watching th butions by the Villag Were di SCUS Sed and villagers would find install the dryer and for it. ITSL WOuld prO Ogy and as Sist the Vil it. ITSL Would alSO possible spoillage Of drying. Together, b mOnitOr the OutCome
Appropriate for MIV/
The Wanathawit prised mainly of W Selected the Only tWC to Operate the drye actually installed in family where both

ts at an Off - Sea
anatha Villuwa at
per Ceived this as technology intera Series of posit is with this aim
dry Cashew was avilluwa. The tray Small Scale proits they shell and to large Compat dealers.
ng with the RRDB
activated by the di SCUSSİOns Were Scale prO CeSsOrS cessing sector in ationally. Our exhad shown US the all aspects of the nmunity who will
SS OrS de Cided tO
and a large nume resultS. COntrie group and TSL decided On. The
a land Suitable to
put up a shelter Vide the te Chn0|-
lagers to Operate bear the COst of Cashew during Oth groups Will
hom?
IWa grOUp COmOmen. But they men in the group r. The dryer was the house of One
the husband and
wife were members of the association that carried out the project. However, Only the husband Operated the dryer. Although TSL would have preferred the Women to become familiar With the technology of the dryer, We decided not to intervene at this stage. The dryer Went into Operation.
As the initial group began to benefit from the use of the tray dryer, more Women became members Of the SOCiety that Was Set up for the project. Their CapaCity to process high quality Cashew increased vastly, so much SO that they SO On began to hire people from the area to WOrk With them. Their latest figures of production is proof enough of their success - From April t0 December 1997 this group prOCes sed 7593.4 Kg Of Cashew and earned an in COme of Rs. 2,116,965.00
Para el t0 the eCOnOmiC SUCCeSS
runs the story of technology development and the W0 men'S COntributi On
to it.
In Vanathavilluwa, the tray dryer Was Operating Well. The users were Satisfied with it except for two problems. One was identified by the users and the Other by the project staff.
| The users' problem was the double Stove mechanism of the dryer. OperatOrS found it difficult to monitor tWO
StOVeS While keeping an eye. On the loading and unloading of the trays as well. They had to use two Operators and thought this was a waste of labour. This problem was rectified by introducing a single stove that did not affect the heating. Other modifications such as redesigning the tubes and pipes for easy man0euWring Were als0 Carried Out. This increased the efficiency of Operation.
t

Page 21
O The problem of the project staff was not purely "technological." But a technology adjustment had the capacity to move the project in the right direction. The problem was that Only the two men in the group were Operating the machine. The Wanathavilluwa group Were quite happy to let things be this Way. But We Were concerned. DiscusSiOn S With them ShOW e d that the Women found it difficult to Operate the maChine be Cau Se it Wa S t00 ta || The
dryer was higher than the height of an average WOman. They also found the trays too heavy to carry When loading and unloading. This was immediately Set right by reducing the height of the dryer and making the trays less heavy. Women in all project sites are now Capable of Operating the dryer themSelve S.
This experience clearly demonstrated that technology / machinery can be operated by women. Judging by their physical capability they were considered unsuitable. This can be set right by designing machines that can be used by women. To make machines that fit the physique of men and then to comment on the in capability of Women to use technology is a mista ke technology developers make frequently. The Wanathawilluwa group showed us that it was not women's lack of confiden ce or po or understanding of technology that had prevented them from using the new machinery, lt Was that the machine Was not designed with the women in mind, and as a result they were marginalised from mastering the machine, right from the beginning.
What helped us, as an
organisation, problems witho was, I think, tl
both men and w
nological aspec We may have, i aware of the na
requirements of we kept the cor nels open, enc hon est feedback
we introduced.
gard women's V nology alth o ug| back was not
"technological
comments Were
When the de
was changed to m men and WOmen
W0 men Were equ the tray dryer. T dependent On the
Capacity for ini,
With an Opp( large quantity of Was becoming mt techniques they u Of processing C effort Was to pasi Could, the broke and try to get pOSSible. But now their name a S CaS
involved. They improve the shell ing fr0m 0ne an Oi in a Warene SS rai
the project they r Or Other devious ally detrimental markets.
They OOked a efficient, le SS Cul

to identify these ut un due delay? lt he involvement of
Fomen in the techits of the project. nitially, been less ture of technology these women. But
n munication chanouraging Women's on the technology We did not disre
'iews on the tech
h often this feed
articulated with
Words" as men's
sign of the machine lake it appropriate for both, We found that ally Capable Of Using hey were no longer
: ՈՅՈ.
70 Vations.......
ortunity to market a
Cashew, the group Ore Conscious Of the
Sed in the Whole flow
asheW. Earlier, their te as skilfully as they n ha|Ves Of CasheW
the highest price / m0re Was at Stake, hew Suppliers was looked to Ways to ng techniques, learnther. By participating sing programmes of ealised that pasting methods Were actuto maintaining their
it Ways of using more mbers Ome methods.
Methods Such as using a solar dryer, to Which they disagreed were now looked at more favourably and found that this was helpful.
A Very innovative development was derived by the Women to clean the Cashew nut While maintaining a high production quality. The inner skin of the Cashew nut is peeled off after drying. The earlier method was t0 take a handful of dried nuts into a dish and scrape off the skin. But this exposed the dried nuts to Open air and moisture Wa S ab S Orbed in the Se. MOi Sture
affects the Shelf life Of the nuts. A longer shelf life brings Credibility to the Suppliers.
The Women developed a very simple mechanism to Overcome this need. They took a piece of bamboo and Sealed One side. The Other Side had a Small opening that can be closed when necessary. Now the dried nuts are put in this bamboo cylinder instead of in an Open dish. The contact with the Open air is minimum and the chances for absorbing moisture is minimised. The initia | idea Of this WaS di SCUS Sed by the Women With the technology development staff of the project who helped them to actually produce this device.
They are now looking at in n0 Vative Way S t0 Capture the || 0 Cal market. With the help of the project staff they are in the process of assessing the market for tinned and packeted CaSheW nutS.
The technology spread........
This project showed us the Women's capacity to use new technology, give accurate and useful feedback On the technology, and de Velop
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 19

Page 22
technology. It also clearly demonstrated their capacity to spread technology.
The success of the Wanathavilluwa group has now begun to spread. There have been requests from nearby areas such as Karuwalagaswewa and Kaluwel -goda for assistance to start similar Work there, and use the same technolOgy to improve their cashew processing. TSL no longer visits new sites to inform the villagers of the technolOgy, its Opportunities and limits, and the procedure that has to be initiated to acquire, operate and maintain this
technology. NOW, Suj of Wanathavilluwa go lages and motivate the them of the tech them learn this proces
Wanathawill UWa bc
torn area in the East attacked by the LTTE. extremely difficult d threats and severely li fa Cilitie S. But this C Sujeewa or Monica ir spread the te Chr s0, they not only spre Ogy. They also help WO
fმ UUomoი Soeoks OUt "Shame for the Whole Society"
maketh a mam.
We have received this setter from an Australian W tor to this country. Her experience cam mot be ru unusual. Earlier we had the occasion to publish sexual harassment a foreign Woman was subject silence which followed the exposure was dead/
In this other incident, a group of schoolboys at offered her money and she brought it to the no school authorities. We regret no action was ta
/ hope the fo/OWing paragraphs On my experience at the Savoy are useful to you. In October, the Sunday Island, reviewed a new movie that Came Out of India. Mira Nair - a directOr Whose reputation is Well established in the West through a string of Successful films - had offered the Kama Sutra up to audiences as an
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page20
examination Of W0me
India.
went with two
and One male friend a
rienCe Started eVen b the door. The queue W men Who felt it their and harangue us as W

e Wa Or M0 ni Ca
S to these VilCommunity, tell ology and help
S.
rders the War -
and Was twice Travelling is Je t0 SeCurity mited transport Oes not deter
their effort to ology. In doing ad the technol
men in the Sere
oman Visifed out as another ed to. The
И.
/M/aradama ice of the kem. Child
n's Sexuality in
female friends d a bad expeefore We got in as full of rowdy ight to harrass waited to buy
mote villages to become technology developers by motivating them with enthusiasm and Confidence.
Our tickets. But this is nothing Out of the Ordinary in Sri Lanka and We perSevered, determined to see this movie.
My two friends and I Were the Only women in the cinema and were noticed immediately by every last member of the Crowd. There Were COmments and Stares and "SS... SS..." noises, and attempts to attract Our attention. But We three have been living in Sri Lanka for SOme time and have learned to live with this sort of thing, if not accept it.
Then the movie Started and Within the first half hour there WaS a SCene with full-body nakedness. The Crowd WaS unable tO COntrOl them SelveS and raised the roof with noise and thrown Objects and more Stares at US. Then

Page 23
the reel broke and the lights came On and we were again subject to the attention of the entire Cinema. Everywhere we glanced were eyes trying to Catch Our S and make SOme lewd Comment. On the balcony above us, a man exposed himself and all the Crowd Watched US to gauge Our reaction. Other men Were removing their shirts and prancing around before each other in what I can only assume was some sort of homo - erotic display. The air was charged with hatred and it was directed at U.S. We were infuriated, but accepted the fact that we would have to leave. We decided to Wait until the mO Vie began again and leave discretely in the dark.
involved a young WOman Coming Out Of the marriage chamber after her wedding night. She was Crying and seeking Comfort With Older female relatives after What was obviously an unplea Sant intr0duction t0 Sex. The reaction to this Scene Was unbelievable. The noise and laughter and general feeling Of male power that re Verberated through the Cinema Was much Stron
But the next scene
main in my mino again and We W darkness. We k mob mentality CrOW d and that
audience attack
ema WOuld be
brella rai Sed an C developed plan the lights Came happened. We left to a Standir displays of male dien Ce Of 500
their victory ove up the aisle to
think this
a S0 ur C e Of S Society. The foreigners note le Vel Of Sexua Lanka. Things a rest Of the Wor
In most CO
Sexual harra-SSr Admittedly the harra SS WOme
Confronted the
 

ger than during the SeX SCene.
These men Were enjoying the portrayal Of male dominan Ce
0 V er W O sin e n . We began to feel more than unCOmfOr table, and Were actu
ally under threat.
The next thing that hap - pened Wi || reforever. The reel broke 'ere plunged into pitch new that there Was a running through the if one member of the ed US, the entire CinJpon us, I had my umi in my mind was a fully of action. Fortunately On before
anything mmediately got up and ng Ovation of jeers and power. The entire auor so men gloated at rus as We Walked back the foyer.
sort of thing should be name for the Whole One difficulty many above all others is the | harra SS ment in Sri
re not like this in the
d.
Intries acts of blatant
hent are n0t COnd Oned.
re are men Who Stil , but when they are 1 at least feel a Sense
of shame. In a crowd of 500 men there may be a handful of individuals who have a Warped view of Women, but there Will always be a vast majority Of men Wh0 Will not Stand for this kind Of anti - SOCial behaviour in their COmpanions. In Sri Lanka the reaction is more likely to be laughter, even, I'm sorry to say, by Women.
Unfortunately this reflects the amount of tension between the Sexes in Sri Lanka. It is impossible to have a healthy attitude to Sex and an enjoyable sex life while these barriers separate men from Women. I don't know Why men feel SO proud of flouting their sexual incom-petancy for all to see by harrassing Women they don't even know They are merely showing that they have a very limited knowledge of Women which is not likely to inCrease. They are adults letting everybody know that they cannot even behave in an adult manner.
"Afraid of the Mob"
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 21

Page 24
'Ecological Feminist IТатија.
rangani Serasinghe is Committed to the protection and maintenance of the environment in a clean and healthy state. Her love of trees and vegetation, and her Concern for animal life and all living things, make her One of the most Sensitive people we know.
It is no surprise then that ranganie is a founder member of the environmental group Ruk Rakegann0 (ProtectOrS Of Tress) fOunded in 1975. This Organization Continues to educate pe Ople through its newsletters bearing the same title as the Organization, and its related activities. The newsletter is printed in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. A regular feature in the newsletter is an article On an endangered tree Or a threatened species of tree, Or a Common tree important yet not Widely known.
We recently spoke with ranganie On her Work in the field of environm
ental awareness, and We WOuld like to share her knowledge and experience
from this interview with Our readers.
ranganie, being One of the senior film stars and stage actresses, finds time for envir Onmental activities and
spreads the message that trees mean |ife, and life means the COntinuati On Of species On the earth. So, we relate to trees and human life in the same
netWOrk.
Voice of Women.
We are intrigued to knoW the seaSoms for Starting Fuk Fakeganno in
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 22
1975, that I/S more tha, ад0 и/hen your acting its peak With your you,
franganie.
Because | trave ||
Lanka and saw the for
Chena Cultivation. also
in the forest bec felling trees. I belonge COnser vation group, l focussed on animals.
animals als 0, but I Cann people, as animals ruin Cannot go to Certain leopards and elephants a SOCiety, you Can sa Climate and animals.
enemy, the animal, is
got hold of Some started the Organizatic majority of members a were dubbed "Sentimer
In my Schoool days tion of Sri Lanka Was si
it is eighteen million. used Over and 0Ver ag Cultivation, and you same system. In my yO was left fallow for a y ate. With today's p limited land space this
| believe that fore
made a national resOU
Voice of Women.
Did you notice any

ni Serasinghe
n two decades
Casee/ WaS at
“/hf// Ze St.
ed ar0und Sri est burning for SaW huge gaps ause of people d to a Wildlife out this largely | Want to Save Otgo to Certain Cultivation. You pe Ople t0 Save S. I thought, in We forests, air, The identifiable
"left Out"
friends and We
n in 1975. The
Ire Women. We
tal tree | O VerS."
the populaX million. NOW
Some and is
ain, as i n Chena Canot use this uth enough land
ear to regenerOpulation and is not possible.
sts should be
rCE.
(gender 0pp0
S/t/On Creeping in to your environme mta/fig/ht?
frangani;
There is the noti On that Women
are Sentimental and Cannot think Scientifically, hence the branding "sentimental tree Overs". One time We Went to the Irrigation Ministry and Were accused of being anti-agriculture. We Were trying to tell them about the need to preserve the forests for Water, Otherwise there will be n0 agriculture. In the Dry Zone the forests are irreplaceable for Water retention. YOU COnnot replace forests by planting a new forest. The people at the │rrigation Ministy Would not listen to US.
Voice of Women. What Was your rose in the Organizaf/0n|7
Irадатiе.
At the start acted as Secretary. One time I was president, now I am a Committee member. We keep rotating. We have young members, which is g000.
We have seen SOcieties where One pers On stays On as president, and it's not right. We had mOre WOmen members in the past, as they had more time as they had more domestic help in those days.
Voice of Women. Which species of trees are endangered in Sri Lanka?

Page 25
/raлуатfе:
The Calamander Tree in the Wet ZOne is now Virtually extinct. It was Cut for its timber for use in tea Chests and furniture. During the Dutch period We Ost a lot Of timber and tusks. The Satin Wood Tree in the dry zone is also rare. Ebony trees are endangered as their WOOd is Valuable. Trees are also
cleared in the War areas.
During the British period, the entire tea plantation areas were burnt to plant tea bushes. There are some introduced species there now. We don't even know what Original trees were there. The planting of the tea bushes has ruined the top SOil. You have to be careful When planting introduced species, for example the Mim0Sa. SOme interefere With natura Species. The British planted the eucalyptus tree in the plantation areas, and the Se tree S Suck a l0t Of Water.
In the paddy fields, the traditional Way of planting was to terrace the plants and grOW things On a COn Cave. The Original tea bushes Were planted in straight rOWS Which led to soil erOSion. NOW they plant On the COn Cave to hold the Soil together.
Voice of Women. fsa Ve VOUSeen a C0/7/7ect/0/7 bet Wee/7 gender and the environment?
/rалgалfe:
Women have to fetch Water and fireWOOd. The WOmen forage for food. Our biodiversity enabled US to forage like that - tO Collect yams and leaves. Women have to be COn SCOUS that there should be a Supply of these.
Our populat are running Out Sources have n
Fish are dying.
Voice of Wom
During the past zation grO Wn?
franganie.
We have
Centre. We find
women as they Vated. Our ne
Women need in
this With COn Se
medi Cines are r
In Maha We
people to use th ers to protect th
Voice of Wom,
Are these any V tude 7
/ranganie.
People stal nOW, particular drought. It is a C and animalS ha\
Voice of Wom
What are the
Warming On the
franganie.
Forests an
We Can See this
OOK at HOrtOn
Voice of Wom
What is the ro/
ronmental prot

On has increased. We of land space. Water OW become polluted.
27.
year, has the Organs
a special Women's it easier tO WOrk With
are much more motiWS letter is popular. COme, SO We COmbine
Vation. FireWOOd and eplenishable.
li We appealed to the e forest a S Wind barri|eir CropS and animals.
27.
/s/b/e Changes in attf
it talking about trees y since We have had a knowledged that birds /e di Sappeared.
2/7.
oca/ effects of globa/
planet?
d animals are dying. in Sri Lanka When We
Plains.
27.
Of the WOman in en Vf
2Ct/On?
/ranganie.
She is the planter and gardener. She should be very much aware of soil erosion measures and how these Can be combatted. She should also try to plant indigenous Species and go back to the traditional diet and medicines. Not wasting Water is very important, and the making of compost is vital. It is aslo important for Women, who are the Consumers, to re - use plastics.
/sabe/ 6uymer Eva Hama MVeera
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 23

Page 26
WoMEN FARMERS DOMINATE
R.K. Wimalasuriya
A Detailed Farming Systems Survey was carried out in 1991 to determine the present status of Crop and livestock farming of the tank - based communities of the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The objectives of the study were to explore the possibilities of introducing a Sustainable farming system to the rain-fed uplands Of the dry Zone, in which Crops and ruminant livestock will play a COmplementary role in en han Cing incomes of farmers.
The results of the survey Carried Out by a multi-disciplinary team from the Department of Agriculture and Animal Production and Health, COvering 274 families Owning an average of 2.25 acres each, revealed that in the Anuradhapura District, the full-time involvement of the family members in farming a Ctivities were as follows: in 98 percent of households, the Wife alOne Was involved; in 84 per Cent the husband alone; and both tOOk part in 79 percent of households.
Therefore, it can be concluded that in farmer families, Women Were more dominantly involved in farming than men.
Farming in the dry zone has been traditionally centered around man-made reserV Oirs, C0 mm Only referred to as "tanks." The tankbased
agricultural Settlem three fold land-use syst (1) the irrigated paddy homestead; (3) the rair
The uplands are OC level of the tank, and ar. Chena, where shifting burn Cultivation is Carri System, the tall forest
light shade are left inta p0 se of protecting the low growing vegetation
burnt. With the adve SO On rains, Seeds are
"burn" With minimum SC Erosion is Controlled b debris which are piled
the slope, and by the b tall trees, which break the raindrops on the g
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 24
 

THE DRY ZONE
2nts exhibit a
em COmprising field; (2) the
-fed upland.
ated above the
2 known as the
Or Slash-and
ed Out. In this trees that give
Coarse grains, grain legumes, Spices, Condiments and vegetables are Cultivated for several seasons withOut fertilizer inputs, and then when yields begin to fall due to depletion of Soil fertility, the land is abandoned to a long fallow of more than 10 years before it is re-cultivated. Meanwhile, the farmer repeats the process on anOther piece Of Virgin land.
H0W e Ver, thİS System Of Sustainable "low-input' agriculture has been given a bad name as the fa || 0 W period has been narr0 Wedi dOWn due to pressure On land by population inCrea SeS. The natura rebuilding of soil fertility does not have suffi Cient time tO OCC ur.
The farmer has to resort to high cost inputs like fertilizer and agro chemica||S. Furthermore the farmer
Ct for the pur
Soil, and the
is slashed and
ht Of the mon
SOwn into the
il disturbance. the logs and
OWS a COSS
anches of the the impact of Ound. Various
ploughs the land and Creates the Conditions for Opening it up to Soil erosion, because the Safeguards of the Chena system are no longer in place. This has resulted in the degradation of the soil, poor crop yields and low farm incomes, and has prompted the Government to declare slash and burn agriculture illegal.
The Survey also revealed that Only 22 percent Of Chena farms Were

Page 27
established On mature forest fall OW - which is the ideal practice. Most farmer S engage in Continu0US Cropping of their Chena land. In such a situation, the role of Small and large ruminants in maintaining soil fertility and also Contributing to the income of the farmer, assumes importance.
The dry Zone of Sri Lanka has an estimated One million hectares Of rain fed uplands out of a total of about four million. Seventy percent of the annual rainfall is received in this region during the period October to mid - January Maha season (North-East monsoon) and the rest falls in the yala
Beyond Beijing:
SeaSOn (SOuth mid-March to dry period off the tWO SeaSO
LiveStock ||Oes, and gola Steads, graZed eas and fed (
present contri farm income f
tential.
Results S
COmes COuld be through crop-li ther, it Wi|| enS
International Women's Day
The average woman in Sri Lanka can expect to live 74.2 years. She is educated, but received Only 6.3 years of schooling, while her brothers had 8 years. She is not involved in paid employment, although she works hard in the home. Mrs Average married when she was 25 years old and has 2.3 children. During her pregnancies she suffered from anemia, and her daughters were of a lower birth weight than her S0 ns.
The Sri Lankan Woman has not attained an equal footing with the Sri Lankan man, however she is not the most disadvantaged woman in the world. In the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report 1996, 137 Countries are
ranked a CCOr
their women.
rank of 62.
In fact, Sri Lankan won
Scale. In 1994
woman in Sri
89.8% of the
While this is n highest percel is much highe Countries such UK (69.7%) UN (80.6%) and
However,
Shine when W.
Sri Lankan WOII employment, ping. The tota Sri Lanka has

West monsoon) during hid-May. There is a long )ur m0nths in between
S.
Such as Cattle, buffats are kept on homeOn Common grazing arin Crop residues. The bution by livestock to ills far short of its p0
Jggest that farm insignificantly increased (estock integration. Furure the sustainability of
1997
ding to the status of Sri Lanka a chieved a
n terms of income, men are at the top of the , the average working Lanka was receiving average man's Wage. Ot ideal, it is the fourth tage in the World and than many developed as Switzerland (67.6%) SA (75%) New Zealand Norway (86%).
this Statistic l'OSes it S learn that Only 29% of nen are involved in paid ind the figure is dropfemale labour force in
declined in absolute
Settled farming on the rain-fed uplands. The productivity of high-value Crops grown in the lowlands during the Yala season and in the uplands in the Maha Season Could be in Creaed through the use of farmyard manure.
The livestock Component farm yard COuld serve as a means of effectively Optimising use of family farm labour and partially provide the farm power requirements for tillage and haulage. Furthermore this W0uld improve the nutritional status of the farm Community through milk and meat
Consumption.
terms from 2.16 million in 1990 to 1.94
million in 1995. And when We OOk at women's OCCup ations, we see that they are mostly in unskilled and low paid work. For example 84.8% of the workers in the Free Trade Zones are Women. Only 8% of cabinet ministers, 11% of University chancellors, and 6% of executives in broadcasting are women. Clearly, there is a gender equity problem in Sri Lanka that needs to be addressed.
"Human Development, if not engendered, is endangered" states UNDP's 1995 Human Development Report. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga adds, in her special Contribution to the same report, Human Development" should mean the development of both Women and men, ideally On a basis of equality while
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 25

Page 28
eliminating the eXisting gender di Sparities in all areas of human endeavor......... It is known that SOCIO - eCOnomi C di Sparities, pOVerty and deprivation accentuate the gender inequalities in all Societies. Therefore, Our major Concern should be to address p Overty With special sensitivity
tO gender issues."
Development Work is becoming increasingly sensitive to the needs of the World's Women. Each Country must assess the particular status of its WOmen, the areas Where Women are disadveantaged, and the areas. Where Women are achieving equality. With this information, programmes can be tailored to the specific needs of the COUntry.
"In the area S Of e du Cati On and health, Sri Lankan W0men are n0t S0 disadvantaged, Compared to similar COuntries," says Arve Ofstad, Resident Representative of UNDPSri Lanka. "But the economic and political life is where We need to make extra efforts and
Women's issues have to be mainstreamed as Concerns. That's got to be Our pOliiCy. "
Increasingly, gender issues are not being addressed through separate programmes for Women, but rather incorporated into all development projects from their inception, to ensure that the project benefits both halves of the population. "The important thing is to bring a greater awareness of gender issuses into all development activities," says Ofstad.
This includes in Corporating W0 men's needs int0 grassr00ts
projects. In a UNDP project aimed at
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 26
Strengthening gra SSrO tions, project Officer Women spontaneously C to participate. Eight oft tions of Community Ba. tions are Comprised SOI HOW e Ver, the Women Wii ganizations need to be assertive to keep the strong. Their leadersh training and enCourag er Sent the interests Of th high level meetings.
"The W0 men leader Come up" says UNDP's T "Village Women have Wered and they are noW of talking to government levels, up to the provinc
Emp OWering WOme nOn - traditionarole SS gender and de Vell 0pm adopted by the GOVer Lanka after the 1995 UN
feren Ce On Women in B
Conference a Platform C adopted and 12 Critic identific pledged to follow up Ol ence by implementin Action Plans.
action Were
In Sri Lanka, tWO ported Workshops were and July 1996 to develo strategy On Women. Ul senior government rep bilatera don OrS and non Organizations decided areas which they felt to Lanka Violence Against Womer Health, Women and Educ pation in Political Admi
W O men in Sri

tS OrganiZa
f0 und that
me forward
e ten federaed Organizaly of Women. thin these Or
notivated and }rganizations p Was given nent t0 repreeir groups at
S have really apan Barman. been emp O really Capable Officials at all
ial Council".
n to take On
Cru Cial t0 the
ent Strategy ment Of Sri
N World Coneijing. At the f Action Was
a areas for
2d. Nations
the Conferg their Own
JNDP - Supheld in May p a national Agencies, resentativeS,
- government
up On Seven be Crucial for
The se are
Women and ation, Parti Ci
istration and
Decisi On Making, Institutional Strengthening, Women and the Environment and Women and Conflict.
In each area, strategies for change have been identified, but many of these boil down to changing the attitudes Within the SOciety.
In the area of political admini UNDP S
WOmen'S FOCa | POint Mane | de Si|Va Says One Of the problems is that Women are not going into politics be
Stration, for example,
Cause it is an area that is perceived as tough and Cut - throat, in Other Words, no place for a WOman.
"Women are not prepared to take up the challenge in Sri Lanka, She SayS. "There's a lot of Stigma attached to Women in politics. There's definitely a gender bias. The Women who do COme forward all Come from the middle Class. SO WOmen play a minor role. When you take part in politi CS y Ou should be prepared for mud-slinging and to work day and night, With all Sorts of people. And you have to sacrifice your domestic life With your husband and Children."
Although both the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka are Women, there are only 11 female members of parliament Out of a total of 225. Only 4.7% Of members Of Provincia | COunCils are W0 men. Thu S W0 men'S i SSue S are rarely Voiced in governmental debate.
De Silva says Sri Lanka's Action Plan is designed to Change these grim statistics in three ways. Firstly to deVelop leadership skills and empower Women. Secondly to reduce the do

Page 29
meStic burden. On WOmen of Caring for Children and the elderly and doing household chores. Thirdly to sensitize decision-makers On gender issues.
"It's not a problem of Women's Capabilities, it's Only this gender bias,"
She says. "It's tura | Value S, ur
tO WOmen's i So time to chang alSO Change the Women need t(
Sive role"
2oot of Zoevelopme
Eshani Wijesekera
The Institute of Agriculture and Women in Development (IAWD) COnduCted a detailed eValuation Study On the quantum Of WOmen's participation in Agricultural Productivity Villages (APV) in Sri Lanka.
The pilot APV project was launched in 1991. The main objectives of this project Was village level development through training, Credit for in Come generating miCrO enterprise activities, and upgrading Of Village infrastructure to meet the needs of agricultural production and marketing. Improving the Social Well-being of the people of the village as a whole was a tOp pri Ority.
The pilot effort was implemented in 25 villages in different parts of the Country, One in each province, ensuring a representative sample of different SOCIO-Cultural-religious groups: Saman-kulam, close to Vavuniya in the NOrthern PrOVince, MaWathe-WeWa Off Anura dhapura in the North Central PrOVince, Niripola, a COastal Village in
the North
Kurukuegama Wetakadeniya, Matte mag Oda Sabragamu Wa SOUthern PrOVi
Western provin
The durati
limited to One
tive of underste
gender issues which are likely
Findings
The field f
SOCIO - e COn Om
ence the parti ( similar in many ber of importan each village th Current basic
APV W0rks Wel
Community - (CBO) like CO (
function is to
membership ar a whole being thriving activity

lifficult to change Culle SS yOu Sensitize men ue S. It Will take SOme men's attitudes, and attitudes of Women. StOp playing a Submis
pt
Western province, in the UVa PrOVinCe In the Centra | PrOVinCe, near Ke galle in the Province, Hiyare in the nce and Niripola in the
C€.
On Of the Study Was month, With the objecinding the relevance of Which have ari Sen Or
to arise in the future.
indings indicated that iC factors which influipation of Women are Ways. However, a numt differences existed in at was surveyed. The understanding is that at Village level through based Organis -ati Ons peratives. Their main Create Weath for its d for the Community as the 'spin-off of their
It Will take a partnership betWeen both sexes to Over COme the inequalities faced by Women.
--S।
Gender issues were given least Consideration in the Original APV project Cycle, namely, in the identification, design, appraisal and implementati On. Women Were h0 W e Ver found to be active participants in the implementation of micro-enterprise projects. Furthermore, approximately 85 percent of the WOmen Were directly engaged in agriculture and animal huSbandry activities On a regular Work
basis.
The investigations revealed the way gender issues manifest themselves. Religious backgrounds Of Women appeared to be much more prominent than ethnicity. In villages with a Christian background, women make their opinions heard. In Buddhist and Hindu villages, Women are in general agreement with the decisions of their male peers. In the Muslim community, the men make all the decisions. The Opinions of Women are not taken into aCCOunt, not even where they hold membership in an Organisation.
Women who were actively
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 27

Page 30
involved in farming Operations had decision making roles as well as influence over matters concerning management. Yet they had no involvement regarding investment decisions. The greatest involvement of women was found to be in transplanting, Weeding, and harvesting activities. A significant number of Women were involved in Water management as well. Animal husbandry activities are numerOus and are predominantly handled by Women. Farm - gate marketing of the produce indicated that Women Were more economically prudent. This enabled them to expand the farming activity, educate the children and also to Contribute towards the family SavingS.
e It was Observed that when the village level Organisation determines the priority for infrastructure and micro-projects development, there has been no formal processes by which the Op inion Of Women are taken into acCount. There are no programmes to inVolve fairly educated unmarried adult Women in the APV project and this has resulted in young Women seeking paid employment Outside the village.
Very few men and women have a desire to enter the Commercial banking system as practised in this country. This is not to say that one could see saving money for a bad day has low priority. "Seetu' Clubs are thriving. Money from this source is often utilised to purchase agricultural inputs or jewellery to a daughter, which could be sold Or mortgaged in times of need.
Recommendations
Consequent to this study, AWID
made Severa reCOn These, if implementec raise the standards Of
but also result in their f pation and ensure ack of their importance in dition which, even at tWe ntieth century, leaves much to be
desired.
o One of the
recommendations is
that rural Women be enCOuraged to play a greater part in eCOnomic and SOCia development at "grass roots" level of the COuntry. As a first step in this direction, ADA appoints a qualified Woman to the p0 Sition of a Director Or Deputy Director of the Authority, functiOning a S a Programme Director. She should ensure the full participation of women in all ADA programmes and project activities at the local and Village level.
e Another recomm
nificanCe is that the rO agricultural producers Organizers should be gi Ognition. Rural Wome should be stimulated t part in village Organiza - Operatives, Product and even Small marke
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 28

nmendations. l, Will not Only Village Women urther eman Ci
nowledgement Society-a con he end of the
There should be a special reservation in the CO - Op for Women, so that, When she is recognized and supported by male siblings, she will gain Confidence and become progressive.
o AWD also reports that in the
SAMANKULAM - CREDIT DISBURSEMENT - NO. OF LOANEES
Micro Projects Women Me/7 Jota/ Onion 18 25 43
Sewing Machine 6 - 6
Blackgram 14 15 29 Paddy Cultivation 10 13 23
Chillie 24 - 24
Potato 12 - 12
WETEKEDENIYA - CREDIT DIS
BURSEMENT - NO. OF LOANEES
MCIO Projects Women Men sota/ Goat Rearing 5 20 25
Cattle Rearing 6 19 25
Poultry 14 34 48
NIRIPOLA - CREDIT DISBURSEMENT -
NO. OF LOANEES
Micro Projects Women Men JOta/ COCOnut Oil 1 1
Poultry 10 17 27
endation of sigle Of WOmen aS
and Community
ten greater recn in particular ) take an active
i Ons like the CO
r ASSOciations
ing Companies.
building up of village institutions the idea of family membership should be introduced, SO that every member of a family, Over 18 years of age, could have access to the privileges and reSources of any institution Created by the project.
e in all investments, the Opinion of Women should be given Weightage,
whether they be a minority Or not.

Page 31
o AWD has a SO Stressed the need
to Conduct a Commodity System ASSe SS ment Meth0 dology Workshop tO bring ab Out improvements in agricultural production and marketing in the Village. This can result in the eliminati On Of the middleman, Wh0 a|| t00 Often, keeps prices down to Suit his Own purpose. It has been found in Some cases that the middleman pays
production and th Cept it Or be left UCt, Only tO peri S
o The Setti
tOr for 'transfer 0
tions (EXtensiOn : lage level is anoth if any headway is ing Women to the
a price much lower than the Cost of Velopment.
SAMANTHURAI - CREDIT DISBURSE
MENT — NO. OF LOANEES
//ICO Frojects Women /M6/7 JOta/ Brick Making 1 29 30
Metal Work 18 12 30
Vegetable 8 47 55
5OOKS
|CEIVED
THE STORY OF SELESTINA DIAS
by Manel Tampo e
The Story of Selestina Dias is a fascinating reCOunting of what a Strong WOman Could achieve With Wealth and a free hand to USe it. She did use the Wealth inherited from her husband Wisely, filling the needs of the nati On, CaSte, and WOman hOOd.
At a time when English Girls Schools were rising with Christian and Missionary dominance, how she founded the Buddhist Girls College later called Visakha Vidyalaya is a story Worth reading.
She Was an early example Of a SUCC essful Sri Lankan businessWOman. Manel Tampoe says she had qualities of mind and character which enabled her to Successfully manage the business Ventures that were

e pr Odu Cer has tO a C- o Training Of Women in Various with an unsold prod- agriculture related activities in the APV
h
has been highlighted in the study. For this puropse a WID Specialist (train
ng up of private sec- ing) should be recruited Who Would ftechnology' institu- ensure that APVP training programmes Services) at grass-vil- incorporate Components designed to her reCCOmmendation meet the needs of Women.
to be made in bringforefront of rural de
KUR UKUDEGAMA CREDIT DIS
BURSEMENT - NO. OF LOANEES
Micro Projects Women Men JOta/ Potato 3 22 25
Tomato 3 6 9 Brick Making 1 4. 5
left to her by her husband. She adds "the SOCial history of the Karawas is a legitimate part of Sellestina's story. She Was the respected head of a thriving arrack business and a Buddhist activist however Contradictory this may SOund. Gradually she switched on to the plantation sector." The bOOk is published by SOCial ScientistS ASSOCiation.
ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES
A COllection Of e SSayS On Contemporary Muslim SOCiety published by Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum/WLUML. This is a Collection of three essays On Contemporary Muslim SOCiety. They are
1. Communa/Sat/O/7 Of/ML/S/ims in Sri Lanka - An Historica/PerSpective by F. Zakariya and N. Shanmugaratnam.
2. Ethnic /dentity. Refigious fundamenta/ism and//US
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 29

Page 32
/lim VM/Omen in Sri Lanka by M.A. Nuhuman.
3. /mpact Of Fe/ligious FeViva/ism On Forma/ and /Von Forma/ Education Among the Muslim Community in Sri Lanka by Jezima Ismail.
In the Forward, Faizun Zackariya says "Muslim Communalism has its internal specifics as highlighted and analysed in the first two essays of this Volume. These eSSayS also address the Often neglected gender dimensions of ethno-nationalism and religious fundamentalism. The third essay attempts to examine how revivalist movements through educational institutions at both the formal and non formal levels, function as Contested sites for accumulating and legitimising multiple messages."
She adds "The Cry for de Communalisation and genuine power sharing is gaining strength by the day and this Volume is a modest Contribution to that Cry Which needs to be sustained in the name of sanity and civilisation and for the sake Of Our future generations."
WOMEN'S RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS
This publication is an Outcome of three Workshops held On the above subject by Vikasha, a Committe for three WOmen's NGOs. The WOrkshops were held in Sinhala, Tamil and English, and Were attended by Scholars, feminists, human rights activists, and representatives from NGOS. Women's Rights are Human Rights - An Overview, is written by Vijita Fernando. The book Contains the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action June 1993 which is the formal document that Came Out Of the World Conference on Human Rights, and thirteen paragraphs especially Concerned with the rights Of WOmen and girls is included in this Volume. The publication Was Sponsored by NORAD.
TRADITIONS VERSUS MISCONCEPTIONS PublisherSocial Scientists Association (1997)
This slim volume is an interview with Ramila Thapar published in Manushi and reprinted in book form by SSA with some beautiful illustrations. Some highlights from the publication:
o "What We regard as tradition today may have been invented four Or five generations ago. Nothing Comes to us in a completely pristine form through the Centuries."
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 30

o || alSO don't think I am being unduly hysterical When I say that there is an element of fear of female sexuality, apart from Other factors, in encouraging Women to become satis. Female sexuality is suppressed by holding Out the idea that a Woman Will become at least a Saint, if not a deity, by immolating herself.
o Attitudes towards Women are complex. They range from a Sub Ordination of WOman in reality to a World of fantasizing in the Spheres Of Supernatural belief. Situati Ons Of the SubOrdination and Oppression of Women, es - pecially in SOCial practice, are known from the past. But the Comprehension of Such a situation must seek for more than just a single plane of explanation.
o The goddess Cult is a very fundamental Cult of religious belief and practice going back to earliest Indian SOciety. Some Would even argue that at another level it is Very important for the psychological and mental make up Of the Indian male. Perhaps for SOme there is balance in placating the goddess While y OU beat yOur Wife."
TOWARDS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WOMEN'S CHARTER
There is a big effort launched by the Ministry of Women's AffairS and Nati Ona || COmmittee On Women tO achieve the Objectives of the Charter. The strength of the Charter Will be in the number of Women Who are aware of its existence and realize What it means.
The latest effort of the National Committee On Women headed by Dr. Wimala de Silva is in the publication of a trilingual book of five short stories meant for children. Thy are Well illustrated by Sybil Wettasinghe, and bring the Charter home to households starting from the child herself.
The stories are Written by Vipuli Go OneSekera and translated by Kusum Chandrasena and A. Sivaraja.
In Dr. Wimala de Silva'S OWn W Ords the Storie S COVer different aspects highlighted in the Women's Charter. Each Of the stories at the end raise a number of question to help the reader to understand in greater depthe the specific issues and related matters.
The "Reunion" deals with the effect that a drunken

Page 33
father has On a poor family making all the females - Wife and tWO daughter - domestiC servants and the possibilities available in Society for rehabilitation.
"Roshi to her mother in Kuwait" describes the plight of a teenage girl affected by armed COnflict and having to look affter her tWO younger brothers when the mother goes to
Kuwait for employment.
"Is this Equal Opportunity?" relates the problem that girls face in trying to follow non traditional technical
2ഗ്ലൂ ർe ീഴൈ
lisabel Guymer
In the 1985 Nair Obi Forward - LOOking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, it was declared that "Women as key food producers in many regions of the world, play a central role in the development of food and agriculture, participating actively in all phases of the production cycle, including conservation, storage, processing and marketing of food and agricultural products. Women, therefore make a vital contribution to economic
development, particularly in agriculturally based economies, which must be better recognized and rewarded."
ACCOrding to the above, Women should be given recognition for their Work. But are they? Traditionally, Women have always made a large COntributi On t0 agriculture, but development projects in the past have been
largely aimed at m Vi SiOn Of tra CtO
Chines, and the u
inSectiCide: HOW ment projects h were the agric role in agriculture eCOnomic deV
looked, and WOm
OWer Status and
Spite the fact tha COntinue to make food production.
Throughout W0 men stil make
tribution to agric eties, Work is tre: labour, self empl abourers On farr
developing COunt age of Women \ and it is the effic ity of agriculture COuntry's econ involvement of W
Opment process,

COurses. "The DOWry" as the title indicates, is the story of how the requirements of a dowry affect the life of a young
W0ՈՅՈ,
"Partnership" tells the story of a young Couple who are true partners, the derision the husband is subjected to for the help he gives his wife in the household chores and the final acceptance of the situation by his family.
The project is funded by CIDA (Canadian /nternational Development Agency)
hen - such as the prois and reaping maSe Of planes tO Spray have these developelped W0 men Wh0 ulturali StS? WO men'S : during this phase of 2 lopment Was Overen were relegated to | Wages. This is deIt WOmen made, and a big Contribution tO
the World today, a COnsiderable COnulture. In many s Ociated as unpaid family Oyment, Or as Wage ns Or plantations. In ries, a large per CentNork in agriculture, iency and productivWhich determines a Omic growth. The Omen in the de Vel
then, must be fully
recognized as a factor in sustainable economic growth.
Солtrflриlioл
In Asia, 50 - 60% of food grown is by Women. In Africa, 70% of food grown is by Women, and in Latin America, 30% of food grown is by Women. Although Women perform all of this agricultural Work they only Own 1% of the World's property. Patriarchy ensures that Women's inheritance is minimal, their Work hours long, and their education and in Come restricted. Women not Only actively work in agriCulture, but also have to find and Carry drinking Water and fuel for COOking and Warmth. Women als 0 perform household duties, SOtheir working hours are longer than a man's.
Women play a key role in the fight against hunger. Not Only do they grow food Crops, but they are the food preparers for their families. The best agricultural land is reserved for Cash Crops which fall under the Control of
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 31

Page 34
men Who are Considered Wage earners. Women Work in subsistence agriCulture, but they must als 0 assist in Cash Crop production. The poorer the hOUSeh Old, the more Work for Women.
Women have less Credit, Capital and land as their male Counterparts. They are increasingly Cut Off from the means of production. In some Countries, WOmen must sell the surplus of their OWn fields.
In many SOcieties which practice Sub Si StenCe agri Culture, men Clear the and and turn the SOil, and Women plant, h0e, Weed, harvest Store, and pro Ce SS the Crops. They are also responsible for marketing the Crops. In many Societies, Women take Care of the livestock, which may involve Collecting fodder for domesticated animals, keeping poultry, goats and milking COWS. In times of drought, men may migrate to Cities to Search for WOrk, leaving the WOmen behind to Care for the family.
Women's traditional roles are af
fected as changes in Social patterns and the introduction Of new technol
Ogy OCCur. AS men Seek WOrk in tOWns, Women's Workload in agriculture has in Cre a Sed Women are n0W m 0 re involved in Cash Crop production than
previously.
Casual labour
The Green Re VO || Uti On and the
introduction of high yielding varieties of produce, has led to the employment Of WOmen as Casual labour. However,
in areas Where mechanisation has
been introduced, female lab Our has
fallen. The use of herbicides to COn
trO|| Weeds has a ISO made W0 men'S
|lab0ur redundant. Women are in ViS -
Voice of Women. December 1997. Page 32
i ble tO their GOVernn
Sri Lanka i S an
try. It has fertile SOil year round. The tradit tems have been reple In Sri Lanka, WOme
than half the labour
tİ On S, but re Ceive || (
men. There are CO
rubber plantations.
COir prO du Cti On Venture undertake
WO men İ S Sri Lanka. (
SOaked and the hair r
into rope, Coir is a
tre SS e S, Car Seat S, m ings. Women earn le SOak the hUSkS. W0
into rope and their lal t0 be le SS, even thO WOmen jointly make nuts are also used it
in the making Of COD nut. COCOnuts are :
production of kaSSip a family Venture. W0 help With the makir UCtS, but as O. With t
Plantation life
isolating, and having tea plucking, little til ily bOnding, making Where difficult, time thus infrequent. estates, are Vulnera
Si Ve Structure S that
their Sub Ordinate Sta
Closed Society in Wh tem S reinfOrCed d Ortunity and interact side WOrld.
On rubber pla|| W Ork hard in the hOr
WOrk. The |lab0ur On

դeրtS.
agri Cultura | COunand SunShine all
ional farming Sysced by new Ones. n make up more
force On planta}Wer WageS than CO nut, tea, and
i S an e C On Omi C
n by many rura COCO nuit hu SkS are
emOVed and Spun
ISO used in mat
ats and Wall hang:SS than men WhO
men Spin the CO ir OOur is Considered
ugh the men and One article. C0CO
n rural eCOnOmieS
ra, Or dried COCO
aSO made in the
U which is usually men may not only ng of these prodhe Selling.
in tea e States is
One day free from me | S |eft for fam
trav elling anyCOnsuming and W0 men On tea
ble t0 the OppreS - Confine them to
atus. They live in a ich the Caste SySue tO lack Of Opp iOn With the Out
nitations W. Omen
me and then go to
rubber estates
is hierarchical as is the COr and tea
eState S. Rubber Was intrOduCed as a plantation Crop nearly a hundred years ag0. Women d0 tapping, and their WOrk Can SOmetimes be hazard OUS. After reporting for Work, they must Walk a distance to their plots. The latex they Collect is carried in heavy aluminium buckets. Sometimes WOrk
erS are bitten by Snakes. There are a
"Set number of trees to be tapped -
between 200 and 300, and Wages are dOCked if the Se are n0t a|| dOne. Al SO, Wages are not paid On rainy days be Cause the Se are n0t COUnited a S Work days even if tapping has already begun.
Women in general have limited aC CeSS t0 knowledge due tO SOCial COn StraintS. This means that projects need to be Culturally Sensitive When transmitting planning, technology, marketing and management. Women's health in agriCultura COmmuniti e S haS been
neglected. The use of pesticides On Crops have detrimental affects On health. Many women work during the late stages of pregnancy, and return to Work almost immediately after birth, Sometimes carrying their child with them. On their backS. Breastfeeding is thus interrupted Or neglected.
information On family
Women's role in eC On Omic
development demands that Women be treated as e qual partnerS, With a right S t0 parti Cipate in de CİSİ On making at all levels. Women's Work in agriculture is productive and reproductive. Without Complementarity betWeen Women and men, there is no h Ope fOr SUCC e SSfu Su Stainable development, and WOmen's important role in agriculture needs to be fully
recognized.

Page 35


Page 36
0 December 1997 0 Vol. 4 0 SS
(This beautiful poem is semt 1
You and / Wils fold the sheets Advancing towards each oth From Burma, from Lapland,
from India where the sheets Washed in the river And pounded upon stones, Together we match the c
From China where women om efther side of the fiver Have washed their pale c/ot/ Stone Shaf/ows 'Under the Shining moon'
We meet as though in the fo, steps of a dance so fold the Sheets togethes, sn Wind in Sun over bushes,
We stretch and pus/from gif
А Wish for á to S/eep
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

women
ue 6 ( ISSN 1319-O906 «O RS 20/-
o us by Dinalf Fernando)
笨
have been
orners.
in the white
e fragrance
'S Cent of Sweet C/eaf Wate/
in Poet. b. 1920)