Challenges Faced by Women Plantation Workers: A Case Study Based on Elkaduwa Plantation

Abstract

Surrounded by natural resources, Sri Lanka is still considered an important platform for global trade. Plantation crops such as tea, rubber, cocoa, cloves are the major income earners in Sri Lanka's economy. People who were brought from India around 1823 with the aim of carrying out coffee making, were settled in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The upcountry peoples have been a community that has contributed massively to Sri Lanka's economy for over 200 years. However, these upcountry people are still living without any basic facilities. In such an environment, women plantation workers take care of their families and go to pick tea due to economic problems. Thus, this study explores the challenges faced by women working in tea plantations in the hill country of Sri Lanka in their daily lives. The women plantation workers who currently working in the villages of Elkaduwa Estate, Sembuwatta, Dottala, Couradi and Hunugala, those are choose as a sample of this research. In addition to using quantitative and qualitative approaches and conducting interviews with women plantation workers and Field study, the researcher conducted a content analysis. The results show that the women workers working in tea plantations have to work all day, due to this they suffer from many physical diseases, Psychological Effects, Lack of clean place to eat food in tea hills. Lack of toilet facilities. There is no leave during menstruation. Lack of employment salary, Challenges such as bio-threat caused by insects in tea plantations have been identified by the researcher as results.