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

Majority of women do not expect men to do cloth washing. Instead, they think that
such merely work should not be done by men and is not suitable for men at all.

Under these circumstances a very small percentage of males seldom give a helping
hand in such work that is also in discrete. This can be understood by paying

attention to the particulars shown in table 02.

Box 04. Case-03, –a 29-year-old woman in Badungoda-
Nawandannagoda hamlet

“Our husband goes to work in jewellery shop in Galle. He leaves home
early in the morning and come back by 7.00-8.00 in the night. Therefore,
he has no time to wash cloths whatsoever. I know not the day he washed
his own cloths. As I believe it is a sin to ask our husband to wash cloths.
Even our grandmother had uttered that such sins would make us not to be
born as men. Men should be requested to do what is suitable for them. It is
not good for us to get them to the task that makes them humble for us
women, it is sinful”.

Source: Field Study, 2014/2016.

Table 02. Males give helping hands to washing of clothes.

Rejjipura Badungoda
Activity
Number Percentage Number Percentage
Using washing machine 06 12 33 22

Washing with hands: inside 04 08 26 17
the bathroom
Washing with hands: any 13 26 12 08
open spot
Washing with hands: 26 52 79 53
Any covered spot
Washing with hands: 01 02 00 00
Common place outside the
home
Total 50 100 150 100
Source: Field Study, 2014/2016.

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