The tea plantation is structured in a social hierarchy. The women, who make up 75%–85% of the work force in the tea industry, are at the lowest social strata and are powerless. This is not unusual as the subordinance of women under men is present domestically and in the social community in many parts of Sri Lanka. Wages are typically particularly low. In Nuwara Eliya, women were once paid as little as 7 rupees per kilogram, the equivalent of 4 pence, or 7 cents, and many must complete 16 kilograms a day. Given the social stratification in Sri Lanka's past, the pay had to be collected by a husband or father. The men who work on the tea plantations typically cut down trees or operate machinery and are better paid at 155 rupees (82p) a day and finish their working day hours earlier. Due to the severely low wages, industrial action took place in 2006. Wages in the tea sector were increaseded to an average daily wage of 378 rupees for men and 261 for women. However, studies have revealed that poverty is still a major problem and despite the tea industry employing a large number of poor people, employment has failed to alleviate poverty since workers are often highly uneducated and unskilled. Poverty levels on plantations have consistently been higher than the national average, and although overall poverty in Sri Lanka has declined in the last thirty years, it is now significantly concentrated in rural areas. Life long tea plucker sits by the window of her small home and looks out onto the tea plantation. Sri Lanka, 2014.
In Sri lanka students attend school on Saturday mornings where they receive an education on ethics and Buddhism. Sometimes Buddhist monks attend the schools and help the teachers impart the teachings of Buddha. A Buddhist monk and his Student. Sri Lanka, 2014.
Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon), and accounts for 2% of GDP, generating roughly $700 million annually to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea, (rather than producer) with 23% of the total world export, but it has since been surpassed by Kenya. Tea plucker in a tea plantation around the town of Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, 2014.
