Getting to Work - Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labor Force - Directions in Development

Jul 19, 2026

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Getting to Work examines women’s labor market outcomes in Sri Lanka, focusing on gender gaps in labor force participation, unemployment, wages, and employment types across regions and demographic groups. It analyzes how household and family roles, mobility constraints, skills mismatch, occupational segregation, and gender bias continue to shape women’s poorer outcomes. The report synthesizes descriptive evidence, tests hypotheses, and offers general cross-sector recommendations and good practices for key private sector industries.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages193

Reading Time8 h 6 min

Executive Summary

Abbreviations

Chapter 1 Study Background, Motivation, and Approach

Conceptual Framework for Examining Women’s Labor Market Outcomes in Sri Lanka

Chapter 2 Summary of Descriptive Data on Labor Market Outcomes

Gender Gaps in Labor Force Participation

Chapter 3 Hypothesis Testing

Household and Family Roles and Mobility Constraints Still Penalize Women

Chapter 4 Conclusion and Way Forward

General Recommendations (Cross-Sectoral)

Chapter 5 Findings and Recommended Good Practices

Information and Communication Technology

Appendix A Sri Lanka: Country Gender Profile

Appendix B Data and Methods

DIRECTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT Countries and Regions Getting to Work Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labor Force Jennifer L. Solotaroff, George Joseph, Anne T. Kuriakose, and Jayati Sethi Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Getting to Work DIREC TIONS IN DEVELOP MENT Countries and Regions Getting to Work Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labor Force Jennifer L. Solotaroff, George Joseph, Anne T. Kuriakose, and Jayati Sethi © 2020 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; [Internet: www.worldbank.org](Internet: www.worldbank.org) Some rights reserved 1 2 3 4 23 22 21 20 This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) [http://](http://)[ ](http://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo. Under](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo. Under) the Creative Commons Attribution license, you are free to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt this work, including for commercial purposes, under the following conditions: Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: Solotaroff, Jennifer L., George Joseph, Anne T. Kuriakose, and Jayati Sethi. 2020. Getting to Work: Unlocking Women’s Potential in Sri Lanka’s Labor Force. Directions in Development. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi: 10. 1596/978-1-4648-1067-1 . License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO Translations—If you create a translation of this work, please add the following disclaimer along with the attribution: This translation was not created by The World Bank and should not be considered an official World Bank translation. The World Bank shall not be liable for any content or error in this translation. Adaptations—If you create an adaptation of this work, please add the following disclaimer along with the attribution: This is an adaptation of an original work by The World Bank. Views and opinions expressed in the adaptation are the sole responsibility of the author or authors of the adaptation and are not endorsed by The World Bank. Third-party content—The World Bank does not necessarily own each component of the content contained within the work. The World Bank therefore does not warrant that the use of any thirdparty–owned individual component or part contained in the work will not infringe on the rights of those third parties. The risk of claims resulting from such infringement rests solely with you. If you wish to reuse a component of the work, it is your responsibility to determine whether permission is needed for that reuse and to obtain permission from the copyright owner. Examples of components can include, but are not limited to, tables, figures, or images. All queries on rights and licenses should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; [e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org](e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org). ISBN (paper): 978-1-4648-1067-1 ISBN (electronic): 978-1-4648-1068-8 DOI: 10. 1596/978-1-4648-1067-1 Cover design: Nayl

FAQs

What does the report study about women’s labor market outcomes in Sri Lanka?

It reviews women’s outcomes through gender gaps in labor force participation, unemployment, wages, and employment types, and assesses patterns by residential sector, age, district, ethnicity, and education levels.

Which explanations does the report test for women’s poor labor market outcomes?

It evaluates whether household and family roles and mobility constraints, skills mismatch and occupational segregation, and gender bias and discrimination remain supported as explanations.

What guidance does the report provide for action?

It presents general cross-sector recommendations and recommended good practices tailored to five private sector industries: ICT, tea estates, tourism, garments, and commercial agriculture.

Jul 19, 2026

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