The Stark Reality of Female Labour Force Participation
Sri Lanka’s FLFP rate remains stubbornly low, sitting at approximately 31.6% in 2024, a figure that has shown a concerning decline since 1990 [1]. This is in stark contrast to the male labour force participation rate of 69.7%, resulting in a significant gender gap of over 38 percentage points [1]. This gap represents a massive underutilization of human capital, directly impeding the nation's economic recovery and long-term development.
A comparative analysis with regional peers and successful
development models highlights the severity of Sri Lanka's challenge. While
Bangladesh, a country with a large garment sector similar to Sri Lanka, records
an FLFP rate of 44.2%, the most compelling comparison is with Vietnam, which
boasts an FLFP rate of 69.1% and a minimal gender gap of only 9.5% [1].
Vietnam's success demonstrates that high female participation is achievable
within the Asian economic context, making Sri Lanka's low rate a matter of
urgent policy concern.
|
Country |
Female LFP (%) |
Male LFP (%) |
Gender Gap (Percentage Points) |
|
Sri
Lanka |
31.6 |
69.7 |
38.1 |
|
Bangladesh |
44.2 |
80.9 |
36.7 |
|
Vietnam |
69.1 |
78.6 |
9.5 |
The data clearly illustrates that the issue is not an immutable cultural phenomenon but a policy and structural failure. The following chart visually emphasizes this disparity:
The Demand-Side Constraints
The core of the demand-side problem lies in a suite of outdated, protectionist labour laws that, while originally framed as welfare measures, now function as powerful disincentives for employers to hire women. The Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act 1954 and the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1956 impose stringent restrictions on women's working hours, particularly at night, and mandate complex administrative prerequisites for employers seeking exemptions [2].
These laws create a "cost of compliance" for female employees, effectively making them more expensive and administratively burdensome to hire than their male counterparts. This structural bias is further compounded by provisions that, as the original analysis noted, unjustly categorize women workers alongside minors, thereby undermining their agency and reinforcing a paternalistic view of female employment [3]. While a partial relaxation of night work restrictions for the IT and BPO sectors was a positive step in May 2024, the administrative load remains a "massive burden" for key industries like the garment sector, which employs one in seven women in the country [3].
The experience of other nations offers a clear path
forward. For instance, Pakistan's 2021 amendment to the Sindh Shops and
Commercial Establishment Act, which lifted night work restrictions,
demonstrates a regional precedent for modernizing these laws [4]. Sri Lanka
must move beyond sector-specific exemptions and adopt a principle-based
approach that focuses on safety
and consent rather than blanket prohibition.
The Supply-Side Constraint: The Burden of Unpaid Care and
Unsafe Workplaces
The demand-side constraints are only half the battle. The
supply-side barriers—those that discourage women from entering or remaining in
the workforce—are equally formidable and deeply rooted in social norms. The
most significant of these is the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work.
Furthermore, the threat of workplace violence and harassment, particularly on public transport and in public spaces during night hours, acts as a powerful disincentive. The advocacy by Sri Lankan labour organizations for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Violence and Harassment (C190) is a crucial policy objective [7]. Ratifying and rigorously enforcing C190 would signal a serious commitment to creating safe work environments, addressing a key supply-side barrier that is common across South Asia.
Policy Recommendations and The Way Forward
As an experienced professional in development economics, my view is that a piecemeal approach will not suffice. Genuine women's economic empowerment requires a holistic, integrated policy package that simultaneously addresses both demand- and supply-side constraints.
1. Comprehensive Legal Modernization (Demand-Side)
The government must undertake a complete overhaul of the
1954 and 1956 Acts. The goal should be to replace all protectionist,
prohibition-based clauses with a modern, gender-neutral framework centered on worker safety, consent, and
employer accountability. This includes:
•
Abolishing
blanket night work prohibitions for all sectors, replacing them
with mandatory, government-audited safety and transport provisions for all
workers, regardless of gender.
•
Streamlining
administrative processes for all work hour exemptions to remove
the "massive burden" on employers, thereby eliminating the
disincentive to hire women.
2. Investing in Social Infrastructure (Supply-Side)
Addressing the unpaid care burden is the single most
effective intervention to boost FLFP. This requires:
•
Public-Private
Partnership for Childcare: Establishing a national framework for
subsidized, quality, 24/7 childcare facilities, especially in industrial zones
and urban centers, to support women working non-traditional hours.
•
Wage
Board Reform: Implementing the recommendation to factor childcare
costs into minimum wage calculations, as proposed by the Institute of Policy
Studies [6].
3. Ensuring Safe and Exploitation-Free Workplaces
(Supply-Side)
Safety and fair working conditions are non-negotiable
foundations for empowerment.
•
Ratification
and Enforcement of ILO C190: Immediate ratification of the
Convention on Violence and Harassment, coupled with mandatory, industry-wide
training and the establishment of independent, accessible reporting and
redressal mechanisms.
• Strengthening Overtime Protections: Implementing improved legal safeguards and rigorous enforcement against exploitative working conditions, such as the reported 100-hour work weeks, to protect semi-skilled and labour-intensive workers who are most vulnerable [3].
The decision to relax night work laws for hospitality
workers is a small, initial step. However, true economic empowerment for Sri
Lankan women—and the resulting economic dividend for the nation—will only be
realized when the government moves beyond tokenism and commits to a comprehensive reform
agenda that recognizes women as autonomous economic agents, free from outdated
legal restrictions and supported by a robust social infrastructure. The time
for a fragmented approach is over; an integrated, whole-of-government strategy
is the only way forward.
References
[1] World Bank. (2024). Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate). World Bank Gender Data Portal. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/economies/sri-lanka
[2] International Labour Organization (ILO). (2025). How to improve female labour force participation in Sri Lanka. https://www.ilo.org/publications/how-improve-female-labour-force-participation-sri-lanka [3] East Asia Forum. (2025). Women still in the dark despite Sri Lanka's night work law reforms. https://eastasiaforum.org/2025/11/15/women-still-in-the-dark-despite-sri-lankas-night-work-law-reforms/
[4] Sage Journals. (2023). Women's Work in South Asia: Reflections on the Past Decade. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23220937231198381
[5] Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. (2024). Labour Force Survey Quarterly Bulletin. (Data point derived from analysis of economically inactive population statistics).
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