📈 SL Unpaid Care Work: Key to 30% GDP Boost & Poverty Alleviation

• The economic value of women’s unpaid care work could increase Sri Lanka’s GDP by at least 30%, underscoring its critical role in the national economy (WMC 2023 study). • Labour Force Barriers: • The 2021 Labour Force Survey indicates that women account for 73% of the economically inactive population. • A significant 59% of unemployed women cite care responsibilities as the primary reason for being outside the labour force. • New research from a Time Use Survey was launched, reiterating the urgent need to formally recognise the value of unpaid care work and integrate its reduction and redistribution into national policy. • Policy & Action: • The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs is preparing a strategic action plan to reduce the burden of unpaid care work on women, following the launch of the National Policy on Gender Equality. • The Canada-funded ‘Addressing Unpaid Care Work in Sri Lanka’ project (2024-2028) by The Asia Foundation and WMC aims to improve policy and support services, including daycare models for children, elders, and persons with disabilities.