MACKSONS PAINTS LANKA
Q: Are there enough women at decision-making levels? And what will it take for women to shatter the glass ceiling in Sri Lanka?
A: There is certainly more room for women at decision-making levels in companies.
This does not only begin at the workplace however; increased diversity and gender equality needs to be fostered in homes and schools, while the latter could improve their subject curricula on civic education further, helping enrich the landscape from which people derive their ideas and the way the world works to be more gender inclusive.
We need to see gender differences as strengths rather than weaknesses – and understand how we can work together. Often, it is when women are seen as more of a weakness than a strength that barriers such as glass ceilings are created. We need to understand that synergies do lie in our differences.
I do not see a greater value addition than including women at decision-making levels or any level in an organisation.
Q: How do you view women’s representation in the public and private sectors?
A: With the female population in Sri Lanka presently being over 50 percent, the mindset needs to change to recognise women as leaders.
This can be improved further with parents and schools granting equal opportunities to children and students regardless of gender, thereby advancing gender inclusivity and support.
Additionally, with the wide choice of digital tools available, women are able to build businesses from home with the flexibility in work schedules, facilitating more female entrepreneurship in the future.
Q: Do Sri Lankan businesswomen have the potential to go global?
A: They certainly do and we need to offer support by encouraging them to reach for the stars.
It is indeed very brave of Sri Lankan women to travel abroad to work as housemaids. But with the appropriate training, overcoming skill gaps, financial guidance and honing of leadership skills, we can utilise the spirit of Sri Lankan women to pursue higher positions and overseas markets with a mindset that barriers can be broken.
We can work to eradicate the image of Sri Lanka as a destination that sends its mothers and daughters as domestic aids and cheap labour, which has resulted in many social issues.
At Multilac, we’re proud to have trained Sri Lankan women who would have pursued jobs as housemaids overseas. Instead, we trained them to become female painters – a field dominated by men here. It is exciting to see these women excel and support their families through this endeavour, and launch their own painting service companies.
Q: What can the corporate sector do to address the loss of women employees at mid-career?
A: I’m in firm agreement with the quote that ‘we expect women to work like they don’t have children and raise children as if they don’t work.’ Organisations can provide more formal mentoring opportunities for women, helping guide them and acting as sounding boards in challenging times.
Businesses can also provide female employees with more on-the-job experiences early, which could give rise to challenging opportunities for them to develop and practice leadership skills.
More flexibility can help retain women as well. This became even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic where flexibility of schedules has been a necessity for organisational survival, which is not limited to a specific gender in this context.
Less rigid career trajectories in companies can also help address the loss of women employees, offering more diversified career opportunities. Furthermore, encouraging shared as well as part-time jobs can help continue the value addition of females to the business world and society.
Q: And what is your vision for businesswomen in Sri Lanka?
A: I look forward to women empowering the nation whilst doing so for their families and each other – to be the pendulum that swings, breaking barriers and gaining strength, and uplifting one another.
My vision is also for women to understand and embrace their differences, and make use of them as important strengths in pursuing their goals.
