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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 11, 2019

accepted as ‘women’s area’ or ‘joint area.’ Women’s area was the kitchen and
adjacent rooms etc. Some husbands give helping hands in these tasks yet not

considered as joint area. For all that, it does not declare a systematically form of

domestic chore relationship which belongs to both male and female parties.

Gender relationship in the task of washing clothes.

Daily task of washing cloths defined as a separate topic and as a sole job of women
did not affect to identify gender relationship at the division of labour of these family

units. Only 11% Rejjipura and 22% of Badungoda families use washing machines
for washing cloths while the rest of communities wash their cloths using hands.

70%
60% 66%
50%
50%
40%
30%
20% 25%
22% 21%
10%
11% 2% 3%
0%
Wash with hands Washing mostly Washing machine No answer
with hands - less
use machine
Rejjipura Badungoda2 Column1

Figure 01. Daily task of cloth washing, Rejjipura and Badungoda

Source: Filed Study, 2014/2016.

Whenever cloths washing are done by hands it is supposed to be women’s work.

The traditions of women’s work or males work have not completely removed away

yet as is witnessed; by the work of cloth washing still belong to women’s duties.
Males do not engage in cloth washing because of having no time as the income

earning person of the family (see box 04).

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