News
Women’s unpaid labour worth 12% of GDP; policy awaits govt. action
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 Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday accused the government of seeking to use the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) to suppress popular political activity, claiming that some of its provisions were more repressive than those of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
FSP Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda told a media briefing, in Nugegoda, that the definition of terrorism in the Bill was so broad that it could be used to label almost any form of popular political activity as terrorism.
He said the Bill’s approach to defining terrorism was based largely on attempts to compel a government, or an international organisation, to do, or refrain from doing something, rather than on internationally recognised criteria, such as killings, causing serious bodily harm, kidnapping or acts intended to spread terror among the public.
Jayagoda also alleged that the Bill transferred substantial powers from the judiciary to the executive, while extending powers of arrest, investigation and detention to the armed forces, in addition to the police.
He claimed that the government had sought to portray the Bill as a replacement for the PTA while retaining or introducing provisions that could facilitate political victimisation and repression.
The FSP also questioned the government’s decision to proceed with the Bill, despite having previously sought public views on an earlier draft.
Jayagoda said a draft had been published earlier this year, with the period for public submissions ending on February 28, but the Bill subsequently gazetted was essentially the same draft with some provisions rearranged.
Jayagoda also referred to a letter reportedly sent by Attorney-at-Law Saliya Peiris, a member of a Committee, chaired by President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne, that had been appointed to draft the legislation. He said Peiris had stated, in the October 06 letter, that changes had been made to the draft prepared by the Committee.
“This means that even the Committee, appointed to prepare the Bill, was a deception,” Jayagoda alleged.
He said that the PSTA was fundamentally similar to the Anti-Terrorism Bill introduced by the previous government, in 2023, which the National People’s Power (NPP) opposed and challenged in court.
“If the NPP opposed that Bill then and is now bringing the same legislation before Parliament, the government must explain its position,” he said.
Jayagoda called on NPP MPs to oppose the PSTA in Parliament and urged trade unions and other groups to build a broad public movement against the legislation.
He challenged the government to an open debate on the Bill.
Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was yesterday remanded until 13 October after being produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court following her arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Shiranthi, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested at her residence on Poorwarama Road, Kirulapone, after CIABOC officers recorded a statement from her for nearly two hours.
According to the CIABOC, the arrest was made over allegations that Rs. 10 million obtained from the National Savings Bank through the Siriliya Saviya organisation was misappropriated.
The money was allegedly obtained to provide a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner to the children’s hospital. Investigators allege that the scanner was not provided and that the funds were instead unlawfully used.
CIABOC is investigating alleged offences under the Public Property Act and corruption-related provisions in connection with the transaction and other financial activities involving Siriliya Saviya, which was headed by Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka on Monday night on a flight from Malaysia after travelling overseas for medical treatment. She left for Singapore on 16 September after being admitted to a private hospital in Colombo on 15 September following an illness.
She had been due to appear before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on 13 October in connection with its investigation into the financial affairs of Siriliya Saviya.
Meanwhile, her lawyers filed an anticipatory bail application before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court on Monday, seeking an order preventing her arrest in connection with the FCID investigation.
Former National Savings Bank (NSB) Chairman Pradeep Kariyawasam was yesterday granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Kariyawasam, husband of former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, was arrested in connection with the Bribery Commission’s investigation into the ‘Siriliya Saviya’ account linked to former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
The investigation concerns financial activities involving the Siriliya Saviya initiative, which was headed by Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
CIABOC is continuing investigations into the alleged financial irregularities relating to the account.
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