The impact of inflation on plantation women’s purchasing power: Special reference to Uruwala Estate

Abstract

Sri Lanka’s inflationary catastrophe has significantly influenced the purchasing power of Tamil estate workers. This study examines the gendered impact of changes in income and expenditure among Tamil estate workers, particularly in relation to inflation, and explores the gendered asymmetries in purchasing power and the persistent challenges of managing household expenditure due to inflation. The primary data were collected from Tamil estate workers in the Uruwala estate, Matara District, Sri Lanka, using a hybrid approach encompassing non-participant observation, key informant interviews, a semi-structured questionnaire, and in-depth interviews. This study was conducted by comparing men and women. Further, quantitative analysis was conducted through SPSS, and qualitative analysis was conducted through NVivo. The study found that the estate women face significant economic challenges from the inflationary crisis due to a lack of job opportunities, job insecurity, gender-based hiring, and wage disparity. While 68% of estate men can earn an income greater than Rs. 15,000 per month, 88% of women are unable to reach this equal income level due to limited working hours in the field (15-20 days), entrenched traditional norms, impact of climate changes, glass ceiling effect, domestication or burden of family responsibilities, and undervaluation of female labor. It represents the income disparity. 93% of women believe inflation has led to surging household expenditure, reducing their purchasing power. Gendered poverty can be eradicated by improving the minimum wage to a living wage and empowering women. The estate women depict the feminisation of changes in household income and expenditure of Tamil estate workers during the inflationary crisis. Thus, estate poverty is referred to as “She-flation”.