Media representations of women ex-combatants in Sri-Lanka

This chapter draws on an in-depth analysis of 526 articles gathered from mainstream English-language newspapers in Sri Lanka which mention female ex-combatants from The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. It analyses how female ex-combatants have been portrayed for their combatant role as a result of a patriarchal and traditional society. These media representations are important because gender inequality affects the lived experiences of ex-combatant women and constrains the meaning given to their social reintegration. Muliebrity, femininity and domesticity are privileged over the knowledge and skills gained through warfare. Media representations censure the experiences of female ex-combatants, constructing them as ‘abnormal’ or ‘failed’ women, whilst reinforcing traditional gender roles. Resettlement programmes focus on re-training women into low-skilled feminised occupations such as sewing, whilst at the same time giving social capital to marriage, motherhood and domesticity. This constitutes a weakness in the resettlement and reintegration programmes that are supposedly designed to help former female ex-combatants lead independent economic lives. This chapter raises several questions around gender equality, gender justice and the barriers that hinder embedding a progressive societal agenda to bring about change in Sri Lanka.