Abstract:
Gender inequality at work is the focus of this article.
Accordingly, it attempts to highlight the conceptual frameworks
on gender inequality at work and present the practical
applicability of these theories with the use of garment industry in
Sri Lanka as an example. Women in the garment industry in Sri
Lanka account for three fourth of the workforce in the industry
and patriarchy plays a vital role within the social structure of the
country. Buddhist philosophy highlights that a person becomes
who s/he is with what s/he does, but not with what s/he has or
who s/he is in the society. In contrast, Sri Lanka being a
Buddhist country people’s position is still determined by who
they are. Capitalist patriarchy, gender regimes, gendered
organisations, creating subjectivities and resistance and agency
are used as the conceptual frameworks to understand gender
inequality at work. The literature on Sri Lankan women in the
garment industry produce important evidence regarding
women’s subordination, identities, agency, resistance etc. Most
significantly patriarchy plays a vital role in creating gender
subordination and government intervention facilitate the
subordination of women employed in garment factories in Sri
Lanka.
