Sri Lanka
Parliament
Data on women
empty
Basic information > About parliament
Speaker
Speaker
Mahinda Yapa
Abeywardena
(Male)
Year of birth
1945
Additional information
Elected on 20 Aug. 2020.
Secretary general
Secretary General
Dhammika
Dasanayake
(Male)
Notes
Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
15 Feb. 2012 -
Members
Current number of members, by sex
Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Age
Average age of all members
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Jeevan Thondaman (Male)
Oldest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
86
Oldest member
Rajavarothiam Sampanthan (Male)
Total number of MPs, 45 years of age or younger
Total number of MPs, 46 years of age or older
Total per sex
Total of male
Total of female
Total per age interval
18-20
0
31-40
41-45
46-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
91 and over
0
Number of members, by age
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 45 | 66 | 43 | 10 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total <= 45: 56 | Total >= 46: 168 | ||||||||||
| Male | 0 | 5 | 21 | 30 | 40 | 60 | 42 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 212 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Reserved seats and quotas
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Elections > Election results
Candidates
Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
6,151
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
556
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
9.04%
Number of candidates, by sex
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
556
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
9.04%
Results
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
214
Number of women elected
11
Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
4.89%
Number of women after election or renewal, by mode of designation
Women Directly Elected
11
New legislature
Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
214
Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
11
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature
First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Karu
Jayasuriya
(Male)
Political party
United National Party (UNP)
Date of election
01.09.2015
Elections > Historical data on women
Women's suffrage
Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940
1948
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1948
National or local
Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes
Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote on 20 March 1931. This right was confirmed at independence.
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1948
National or local
Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes
Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote and stand for election on 20 March 1931. These rights was confirmed at independence.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament
Year in which first woman entered parliament
1947
Specialized body - Women's caucus
Women Parliamentarians' Caucus
(January 2006)
Formal or informal
Formal
The caucus is open to male MPs
No
The caucus is cross-party
No
There are rules governing the functioning of the caucus
No
Activities
Issues dealt with by the caucus
- 1. Increasing the participation of women in politics. 2. Safeguarding women's rights and gender equality. 3. Preventing violations and harassment of all kinds against women. 4. Looking into the welfare of women workers, including migrant workers. 5. Alleviating poverty among underprivileged women and widows and providing them with vocational training and facilities. 6. Improving education for women. 7. Looking into women's health-related problems. 8. Providing legal aid and counselling. 9. Enacting legislation for the betterment of women 10. Contributing to development of the country in general.
The caucus has a strategic plan or plan of action
Yes
The caucus has a communication plan
Yes