Youth Aspirations and Expectations in Sri Lanka following Economic Liberalisation. Location Study 5: Hambegamuwa

Abstract

This is one of a series of reports examining shifts in the aspirations of youth for livelihoods, education and qualifications following the policies of economic liberalisation introduced from 1978. It examines shifts over time through comparisons of youth aspirations with the recollected aspirations of the youth’s parents. The study of aspirations is based exclusively on interviews with household members from different class groups. This report focuses on households in Hambegamuwa, a Sinhala Buddhist village in the Uva Province. Livelihood activities in Hambegamuwa are primarily centred around farming, especially rice cultivation, while 17% of the sample hold white-collar jobs. Key findings from the surveys include: nearly two-thirds of the sample population are not married 29% of females are unemployed compared with 9% of males significant proportion of parents have post-primary-level education nearly 60% of the interviewed youth aspire to university education, the majority felt that economic factors would prevent them from attaining those aspirations 88% of young people aspire to work in the government sector, and 54% believe that this is a realistic goal