Sri Lanka, Oct. 15 -- Women in rural areas make a huge contribution to the economy, but their contributions often go unnoticed. Hence, since today (October 15) is 'International Day of Rural Women', let's focus on rural women and their work.

If we take the world at large, European women, both in the cities and rural areas, are recognised for their efforts. But it is not the case in Asian countries. Women in Asian need more opportunities to work. Do they get equal work opportunities compared to Asian men?

We talk about gender equality, but do we empower women? Research suggests that when women have equal opportunities, they can raise agricultural production by 2.5 to 4 per cent. When women are actively involved in employment, the resul...