Women’s unpaid care work contributes the equivalent of nearly 12 percent of Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), yet remains excluded from official economic calculations, prompting fresh calls for urgent policy action and greater national recognition.

The startling statistic emerged afresh at a discussion on unpaid care work, organised by South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) Sri Lanka, and the Women and Media Collective (WMC), at the Press Institute on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists, Dr. Sepali Kottegoda, Director Programmes of the Women and Media Collective, said recent research by economist Professor Dilani Gunawardana found that women’s unpaid care work alone would account for approximately 12 percent of GDP if assigned an economic value. When unpaid care work performed by both women and men is included, the figure rises to around 14 percent.

“These figures challenge conventional economic thinking. A substantial amount of productive labour remains invisible, despite contributing enormously to family welfare, social wellbeing and the national economy,” Dr. Kottegoda said.

She revealed that a policy framework, aimed at recognising unpaid care work, has already been drafted and submitted to the Ministry responsible for women’s affairs, with discussions underway involving several government agencies.

According to Dr. Kottegoda, the Prime Minister has been among the strongest political voices advocating recognition of unpaid care work and had highlighted the issue in her maiden speech in Parliament.

The proposed policy seeks to bring national attention to a form of labour predominantly undertaken by women, through childcare, elder care, care for persons with disabilities, cooking, cleaning and other household responsibilities.

“Without this work, households cannot function effectively and neither can the economy. Yet it is treated merely as a family obligation instead of being recognised as labour that generates economic value,” she said.

Dr. Kottegoda identified entrenched social attitudes as the biggest obstacle to recognising unpaid care work.

“Many people believe women perform these tasks simply out of love or duty. While that may be true, it does not diminish the fact that this work requires time, effort and labour. The contribution must be recognised socially and economically,” she said.

She also called on economists to rethink traditional methods of measuring economic performance and to acknowledge the role played by unpaid labour, particularly that of women.

“We need to ask why women’s labour remains invisible in GDP calculations. Recognition is not merely about numbers; it is about understanding how economies actually function,” she said.

The discussion also highlighted the need for increased investment in childcare centres, elder-care facilities and services for persons with disabilities to reduce the disproportionate burden of care shouldered by women.

Dr. Kottegoda advocated expanding paternity leave provisions, arguing that care responsibilities should be shared more equally between men and women.

Sri Lanka currently provides only limited paternity leave, a situation that women’s rights advocates say reinforces traditional gender roles and limits men’s participation in caregiving.

Participants noted that unpaid care work has increasingly gained attention, globally, with economists and international development agencies recognising its contribution to economic productivity and sustainable development.

The Women and Media Collective, which has for decades championed women’s rights, gender equality and social justice in Sri Lanka, says recognising unpaid care work is essential to building a more inclusive economy and ensuring that women’s contributions are no longer overlooked.

“We cannot continue to ignore a sector that contributes the equivalent of billions of rupees to the economy every year,” Dr. Kottegoda said.

By Ifham Nizam

The Campaign for  Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) with the view of strengthening its  Election Observer network,  conducted a two-day residential  programme  for its District Coordinators recently, despite the possibility of an election being held in Sri Lanka in the near future being almost nil.

The primary aim of CaFFE’s election monitoring agenda is to identify incidents involving violations of electoral law and help determine a conducive atmosphere for citizens to cast their vote during an election, in a free and fair manner.

It is the duty of CaFFE’s election observers to impartially report on such  incidents without casting a prejudicial opinion to any party or group that violates election laws and disrupts law and order.

The  participants, who attended the programme held in Kurunegala, were welcomed by CaFFE’s Executive Director, Manas Makeen, and  Director Administration, Surangi Ariyawansa, who reminded them of CaFFE’s objectives and responsibilities. Later in the day they  were inspired by a capacity building session conducted by brother Charles Thomas.

Among the topics discussed was whether the Provincial Councils were a necessity or a burden on the taxpayer and if it  should be abolished as successive governments have avoided holding it. On day two, the participants held a peaceful demonstration in the Kurunegala town urging the government to either conduct the PC election or abolish the PC system.

by PRIYAN DE SILVA

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (19) filed indictments before the Colombo High Court against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two other defendants over corruption charges.

The other defendants named in the indictment are Sepalika Saman Kumari and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama.

The indictment contains 10 charges against the accused. The prosecution has also listed 30 witnesses and 38 documents as case material.

According to the charges, the accused are alleged to have committed the offence of corruption and aided and abetted the commission of the offence by using official influence to pressure certain government officials, attached to the Office for Reparations, to obtain compensation, amounting to Rs. 8.85 million.

The allegations relate to a building and other properties unlawfully constructed on land belonging to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka in the Sevanagala-Kiriibban Wewa area. The properties were damaged during the 2022 countrywide protests. Despite an earlier decision rejecting compensation for the properties, the accused are alleged to have influenced officials to secure compensation payments for the damages.