Sri Lanka has shown remarkable persistence in low female labor force participation rates—at 36 percent from 2015 to 2017, compared with 75 percent for same-aged men—despite overall economic growth and poverty reduction over the past decade. The trend stands in contrast to the country’s achievements in human capital development that favor women, such as high levels of female education and low total fertility rates, as well as its status as an upper-middle-income country. This study intends to better understand the puzzle of women’s poor labor market outcomes in Sri Lanka. Using nationally representative secondary survey data—as well as primary qualitative and quantitative research—it tests three hypotheses that would explain gender gaps in labor market outcomes: (1) household roles and responsibilities, which fall disproportionately on women, and the associated sociophysical constraints on women’s mobility; (2) a human capital mismatch, whereby women are not acquiring the proper skills demanded by job markets; and (3) gender discrimination in job search, hiring, and promotion processes. Further, the analysis provides a comparison of women’s experience of the labor market between the years leading up to the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war (2006†“09) and the years following the civil war (2010†“15). The study recommends priority areas for addressing the multiple supply- and demand-side factors to improve women’s labor force participation rates and reduce other gender gaps in labor market outcomes. It also offers specific recommendations for improving women’s participation in the five private sector industries covered by the primary research: commercial agriculture, garments, tourism, information and communication technology, and tea estate work. The findings are intended to influence policy makers, educators, and employment program practitioners with a stake in helping Sri Lanka achieve its vision of inclusive and sustainable job creation and economic growth. The study also aims to contribute to the work of research institutions and civil society in identifying the most effective means of engaging more women— and their untapped potential for labor, innovation, and productivity—in Sri Lanka’s future.

A case study of why and how national e-leadership institutions, e-government and e-society programs were designed and implemented. The book examines the process of building national ICT institutions, showing how to design and implement an integrated e-government program. The book describes how a fund was developed to promote grassroots innovations that leverage ICT to solve problems of rural development and poverty. The book proposes national e-strategies be grounded in an integrated framework and institutional mechanisms that would exploit synergies and interdependencies among the different e.

This chapter discusses the potential challenges and benefits of information technology and economic development in Sri Lanka by reviewing the awareness and readiness of the selected opportunities. This chapter also identifies the enabling factors and bottlenecks, and forecasts the future growth of ICT developments in Sri Lanka as a host in Asia. Furthermore, developing ICT, professional services, and offshoring opportunities should be a high priority for the development strategy of the country. This chapter presents the findings from the survey that assessed the potential for ICT in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island state of contrasts in terms of its economic development and ICT capability. Research on a Web survey of government institutes revealed that 30% of ministries in the country do not have Web sites or may not have Web access since they are inactive. 38% of the ministries are still in the infant stage, and information available on Web pages is often little in content and limited to a few pages. Only about 17% of ministries offer interactive Web content, where users have access to regularly updated information, can communicate through e-mail, and can download government documents through the Internet.15% of the ministries provide some online services to the citizens. Public- and private-sector economic entities do not develop Web sites in the local language; all Web sites are in English even though 80% of the population depend on their own local language. The majority in Sri Lanka do not speak English.