Explores patterns and causes of female headship of households among the three major ethnic communities in Eastern Sri Lanka: Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim. Argues that female headed households are an enduring feature, not a temporary product of war, and that policies should aim at letting women help...

Focuses on the emerging social group of female-headed households among the Sinhalese in Eastern Sri Lanka. Outlines perceptions of ethnicity in Sri Lanka and examines the indirect costs of ethnic conflict among the Sinhala, Tamils and Muslims. Highlights female-heads' coping strategies, economic...