Our Goal

Gender Equality and Equity

The goal of the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Kelaniya (CGSUK), is to promote gender equality and gender equity, with particular attention to the Sri Lankan higher education context. The Centre recognises that achieving meaningful equality requires attention not only to equal rights and opportunities but also to the different circumstances, experiences, needs, and priorities of diverse groups of women and men.

Gender Equality

Gender equality refers to the principle that women and men should have equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities, and access to resources and participation. Equality does not imply that women and men are identical or that they must have the same experiences. Rather, it means that a person's rights, responsibilities, opportunities, and participation should not be determined by whether they are born female or male.

In the context of higher education, gender equality therefore involves ensuring equitable access to education, employment, research opportunities, leadership, decision-making, professional advancement, and participation in academic and institutional life.

Gender Equity

Gender equity recognises that women and men may have different needs, circumstances, interests, and priorities as a result of biological, social, cultural, economic, and gendered life experiences. It therefore emphasises the importance of identifying and responding to differences to achieve substantive equality.

Equity acknowledges that treating everyone in the same way does not necessarily produce equitable outcomes. Different groups of women and men may experience institutions and society differently and may therefore have different concerns and priorities. A gender-equitable approach seeks to recognise these differences while ensuring that they do not become the basis for discrimination, exclusion, or unequal opportunities.

CGSUK's Approach

CGSUK is founded on the complementary and simultaneous understanding of gender equality and gender equity. The Centre recognises both the similarities and differences in the experiences of women and men and seeks to examine these experiences within their broader social, cultural, institutional, historical, and economic contexts.

Accordingly, CGSUK's approach does not view gender equality simply as achieving numerical parity between women and men. It also considers the structures, practices, relationships, and social conditions that shape people's opportunities and experiences.

The Centre further recognises that women and men are not homogeneous categories. Gender intersects with other dimensions of social life, including age, class, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, geographical location, economic circumstances, and other forms of social difference. Understanding these intersections is essential to addressing the diverse realities of individuals and communities.

Through this approach, CGSUK seeks to promote a higher education environment in which equal rights, meaningful opportunities, recognition of diverse needs, dignity, inclusion, and participation are accessible to all.