Female labour force participation

Tuesday, 7 May 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

WHAT ails Sri Lanka’s female workforce? Despite Sri Lanka attaining middle income status in 2010, its female labour participation remains the lowest in South Asia, creating many questions over this largely-neglected issue.

According to a recent World Bank report, Sri Lanka’s female labour participation has lagged behind its Asian counterparts such as Thailand and Malaysia, which have high rates of 80% and 50% respectively. This is especially puzzling given that Sri Lanka’s women have high levels of education and enjoy relatively unhindered access to the job market.

The World Bank points out that Sri Lanka has the 20th largest gender gap in the labour force participation category, with numbers for women being only 41% in 2010 when compared with 82% for men. The numbers clearly show that that twice the number of men are part of the labour force, creating a clear discrepancy.

Given that women compose 52% of Sri Lanka’s population it is clear that their continued absence from the workforce could result in slow economic growth and poses problems of equity growth to the country. Being home to an ageing population is another reason why women’s participation is crucial.

Estimates indicate that if women are encouraged to be part of the labour force, there would be an average of one million workers being added on every year. This is a significant number indeed, given that low unemployment rates are creating strong labour needs in many sectors of the country. Another positive is that women who work mostly in the informal sector would be acknowledged for their contribution and treated with respect rather than being taken for granted. It would also lead to women having more independence and motivate society as a whole to review their perception of women and their roles. Moreover, as the gender balance of migrant workers shifts towards men, women will be increasingly called upon to take up jobs within the country to fill up vacancies left by their male counterparts.

Understandably, one of the biggest constraints for women is gender norms and traditional practices that limit them to certain jobs or working hours. Such perceptions are so deeply rooted they become embodied in law and regulatory frameworks. The Employers Federation of Ceylon has been lobbying to revamp labour laws regarding night shifts for women for many months, but have been deterred. While it is acknowledged that revamping such legislation could result in exploitation of women, it must also be admitted that new trends in the job market must also be mirrored.

A stronger female workforce will push policymakers to concentrate on childcare facilities and other benefits that so far are neglected by the overwhelmingly male political population of Sri Lanka. Providing efficient childcare services and encouraging women to remain part of the labour force would diminish the mythical glass ceiling and motivate better jobs with higher salaries for this extremely capable but largely ignored segment of the economy.