Abstract
Restricting the analysis to series of relationships within bounds of the estate, this chapter examines the implications they held for Tamil community, in general, and Tamil women, in particular. The colonial government and state, with their active support for the planters, provided the necessary economic and political base needed to bolster this hierarchical system which, in turn, helped perpetuate this system of labour control. In particular, the method of recruitment, the system of labour management on the estates, and their relationship to the wide society in Sri Lanka stimulated this process. In this way, patriarchy and casteism were to become important elements of the Tamil community; and used as a means of labour control for women on the plantations. Discrimination of another form, i.e. casteism, was also important for the Tamil community in this new environment; and this, together with a strengthening of traditional patriarchy, played a significant role in perpetuating the notion of inferiority of women and their work.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Women Plantation Workers |
| Subtitle of host publication | International Experiences |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis Ltd |
| Pages | 67-88 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781003136132 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781859739778 |
| Publication status | Published - 1998 |