Empowering Sri Lankan women: Highlights from the National Policy Conference on Women’s Access to Decent Work in Sri Lanka

By Kimuthu Kiringoda and Himani Vithanage

Kimuthu Kiringoda is a Research Officer at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) with research interests in health, labour markets, tourism, SMEs and SDGs. She holds a BA (honours) degree in Economics from the University of Colombo. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of London and MSc in Sustainable Management from the University of Bedfordshire (UK). (Talk with Kimuthu:
kimuthu@ips.lk)

Himani Vithanage is a Research Assistant working on health, education and labour policy at IPS. She was the recipient of IPS’ Saman Kelegama Memorial Research Grant for 2021. This blog is based on her research study analysing the issue of school dropouts in the estate sector of Sri Lanka. She holds a BA in Economics from the University of Colombo, and a BSc in Economics and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

In Sri Lanka, only 7.7% of working-age females are engaged in formal employment with decent wages and decent working hours. The country’s persistent challenge of low female labour force participation is compounded by a multitude of unique barriers to improving women’s access to decent work.

Decent work is multifaceted, incorporating productive work that delivers a fair income in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity (ILO, 1999). Due to the heavier household and caregiving responsibilities falling on women, they face challenges when participating in the labour force and securing decent work.

Sri Lanka’s labour market is characterised by several gender-specific challenges. Dr Nisha Arunatilake, Director of Research at IPS, notes that employers consider women’s additional household and caregiving responsibilities when hiring workers, affecting the demand for female workers. Furthermore, Sri Lankan legislation places higher costs on employers when hiring females, including maternity leave and added security expenses. Even when women are recruited, they face constraints and disadvantages in opportunities for promotions and career development owing to their household duties.

Another main issue in Sri Lanka is the limited availability of decent jobs, especially outside the Western province. As stated by Dr Arunatilake, “about 30% of the jobs in these areas are in the agriculture sector,” which mostly comprises vulnerable jobs with low income. This, combined with employers’ preference for recruiting males, further restricts women’s access to decent work opportunities.

A recent IPS study revealed that only 8% of Sri Lanka’s working-age population is engaged in formal employment with decent wages and decent working hours. For females, the percentage is 7.7%, lower than the male percentage of 8.3%. The study also emphasised that access to decent work improves when women are English literate and have higher levels of education.