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ISSN 3121-3049
People's Journal Sri Lanka Volume 01, Issue 01

associated with women's public political participation, and many of them do
not even hope to participate beyond voting, often under the influence of male
family members.

Beyond stifling women's political agency, the low level of female autonomy
in estate communities perpetuates a vicious cycle of exclusion, where
women's opinions are disregarded and not considered during local or
national decision-making. These findings underscore the connection between
gender inequality and cultural conservatism as significant barriers to
women's meaningful participation in democracy.

04. Youth & Generational Shifts

The findings show minor but significant generational differences in political
awareness, especially when comparing younger and older women. Younger
men showed a marginally higher level of political participation, primarily as
a result of social media exposure and educational opportunities, but older
women mostly adhered to conventional voting patterns influenced by male
family members. Young women, on the other hand, did not exhibit this
change as clearly; they still showed little knowledge of or interest in politics.

Participants who were young women claimed to be underinformed about
voting rights, political institutions, and the need for civic engagement.
However, cultural norms and household responsibilities restricted their
access to political knowledge, which made their propensity for
disengagement worse. Furthermore, some of the male and female youth of
the estate had left the area in search of employment or educational
opportunities. Few indications of political involvement or group mobilization
were seen among the young people who were still living in the estate, and no
noteworthy youth-led campaigns concerning elections or social issues were
noted. These results show that although younger generations have the
potential to change politics, especially through education and exposure to
wider social networks, structural and cultural barriers still prevent female
youth in estate communities from developing strong political agency.