Respecting culture while challenging patriarchy

Dinishika Vithanage has been pushing boundaries her entire life.

After earning her bachelor's degrees in psychology, political science and English in her home country of Sri Lanka, Vithanage enrolled at St. Cloud State University to pursue master's degrees in both social responsibility and criminal justice.

"I pushed the boundaries to get into St. Cloud State, to fly off to the U.S. I'm an only child; my parents did not like me flying off to a different country, different culture or society. I knew the challenges and barricades I had as a young female. I'm 45 now, and back in my 20s and 30s, it was very hard to do the things I wanted to do because you feel somewhat guilty coming from your roots — 'Am I doing the right thing? Am I bringing disgrace to my community, my family?'" she said. "I got exposed to new cultures and opportunities at St. Cloud State. I working with the Women's Center and took part in their events and liked it very much. That encouraged me to address the issues back in my country, back in my community — that women have to create more space for them. We definitely have to respect our cultural traditions, but we need to challenge them when they are not appropriate."

She returned to Sri Lanka in 2016 to her hometown of Kandy, and conducted research for Red Cross based on trafficking women for sex work. Vithanage started teaching psychology as a visiting lecturer for a couple of universities and colleges in her area, and has now been teaching sociology for about eight years. On top of her scholarly endeavors, she also competes as a national bodybuilding athlete — something out of the norm for her home country. It also intertwines with the subjects Vithanage both teaches and researches.

"One of the reasons is that physical competition and fitness is not popular for women, especially in Sri Lanka. Muscle building is sort of a taboo and it is not encouraged for women to do sports like bodybuilding. I wanted to take it up and I encourage young women to get into sports and to do what they like," she said. "Currently I am teaching and I'm conducting my research around the marginalized women in my community and in Sri Lanka, especially with regard to their sexual orientation and their rights, and examining domestic violence and victimology."

Vithanage said there is a stigma around enrolling in the humanities, based on the idea that psychology, empathy and similar subjects and traits aren't masculine enough and don't belong in strong societies. She also works to make sure women feel they have a place in education and the workforce that doesn't need to be dictated by anyone else.

"I've been working with a lot of young females based on their interests — being a mentor to them, getting them to do what they like, sometimes even writing recommendation letters for their universities and organizing workshops, awareness programs. One step at a time; sometimes it's very hard to get them outside of their box. But we can see some progress with the young community here in Sri Lanka because they want to get that exposure," she said. "When I landed here in Sri Lanka and joined some of the universities and challenged some of the ideas held by male patriarchic, hierarchical managerial positions, they saw it as a threat to them. They always labeled me as, 'Oh, you got the education from the U.S., so now you have started radically thinking. I challenged that idea because I did not want to put myself down just because the tradition is in that manner. I'm proud that I'm doing the right thing. I'm not harming anyone. I'm not challenging my culture or my society in a bad way. But I wanted to point out that women have more space, so get them educated. Let them do what they feel like."

Vithanage hopes to conduct more research regarding marginalized women in Sri Lanka and even globally. Her current research focuses on the stigma surrounding Pap smear cervical cancer tests in her home country.

"Unmarried women are somewhat stigmatized taking the test. Basically, you have to be married and you have to sort of prove to the medical community that you are married to take the test, because sexual activity is highly taboo. Women are scared to go to a medical center or speak with a medical professional about getting the screening done," she said. "That is my current research. I want to take this out in the public. I know that I will be challenged. The medical community or my community will not like it. But you need to take a risk if you want to see some social change and to educate women about STIs, about their sexual desires. They should have a place to discuss their issues openly."

It's important for Vithanage to make positive change, especially for those whose voices often go unheard. She encouraged others to follow their passions, and not be afraid to challenge societal norms.

"Don't go with the trend. If there's something you think needs to change; take that challenge, address those barricades, just push through," she said. "That's what we need to do, because if you stay with the trend and if you stay with the herd, how will anything ever change for the better?"