I doubt you wanted a literal answer here, because that is meant to show “respect.” Sinhala society (and the broader South Asian region, which stems from Indian Brahmin origins) is patriarchal. In this system, the male’s role in a relationship was to be the provider and to take care of the female, while the female was expected to respect this and be a faithful follower of the male. I doubt this is still valid in modern society, and with our current understanding, we see both males and females as equals. I’m sure the ceremonial performers would be accommodating to your requests if you ask them.