• The burden on Sri Lanka’s women 

As Sri Lanka’s economic hardships continue to mount, Suneetha, who has been the sole breadwinner for her family and primary caregiver of her ailing husband, has been bearing a growing burden.

“Prices are rising and a lot of sacrifices have to be made. Food and drinks are expensive, and as gas prices have increased further, I use gas sparingly. I’ve turned to a small wood stove for cooking because the price of gas climbs daily,” she said.

Despite worsening conditions, Suneetha persists. “I’ve always been the one bearing the burden. Since the pension I received was not enough, I also do a small job. That’s how I manage.”

She reflected: “As a woman, there have been problems since the day I was born. I have always been the one looking after the family. That is what I’ll have to do until I die. There is no one to provide support, no one to look after me. I hope to live on my pension in the future.”

Suneetha’s story is not an isolated case; it reflects the resilience of women in a society that often expects them to hold up families while receiving the least amount of structural support.

Invisible shock absorbers

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, University of Peradeniya Department of Sociology Head and Senior Professor Mallika Pinnawala outlined how the crisis had been reshaping the lives of Sri Lankan women. 

While rising inflation, unemployment, shortages of essential goods, increasing taxation, and the depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee have affected all citizens, she argued that women carried a disproportionate share of the burden.

She noted that with women managing domestic life in many households, they remained responsible for caring for family members and maintaining household welfare. As a result, economic disruptions have created serious social, economic, psychological, and health-related challenges for women. 

“One of the most visible impacts has been the rising cost of living. Prices of food, medicine, fuel, electricity, and other basic necessities have increased dramatically. Women, particularly mothers and housewives, have been forced to stretch limited household incomes to meet family needs. 

“Many women have reduced their own food consumption to ensure that children and elderly family members were fed adequately. This ‘nutritional sacrifice’ has negatively affected women’s health and well-being. Studies and reports have shown that women often become the ‘shock absorbers’ of the household during periods of economic hardship,” she noted.  

Prof. Pinnawala further pointed out that women also bore a significant psychological impact, since constant financial stress, uncertainty, and the responsibility of caring for family members increased anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion among women. “Many women have experienced feelings of helplessness as they struggle to maintain family stability under worsening economic conditions.”

Women’s position as ‘shock absorbers’ during periods of national hardship, according to Prof. Pinnawala, is because social and cultural norms traditionally position them as caregivers and managers of household welfare.

“In many societies, including Sri Lanka, women are socially expected to ensure family survival regardless of available resources. As a result, women absorb economic and emotional pressures by reducing their own consumption, taking on additional informal work, borrowing money, managing food shortages, and providing unpaid care work.”

Structural marginalisation

Alongside this, such situations of national crisis also significantly reshape family dynamics. According to Prof. Pinnawala, financial stress has increased tensions within households, while migration for employment, job losses, and income instability have disrupted traditional family structures.

“Women are increasingly becoming heads of households or primary income earners, especially in families affected by male unemployment or labour migration. At the same time, caregiving responsibilities have expanded. Women must manage children’s education, healthcare, nutrition, and elderly care with fewer resources and reduced public services.

“Social expectations, however, have not changed proportionately. Society still expects women to fulfil traditional domestic roles even when they are economically active outside the home. This imbalance has contributed to emotional stress, mental health challenges, and increased vulnerability to domestic conflict and gender-based violence,” she noted. 

Meanwhile, economic strain also created a shift towards strengthening traditional gendered division of labour within Sri Lankan households, Prof. Pinnawala noted, describing it as a ‘double burden’ faced by women, where they were expected to contribute economically while maintaining their traditional caregiving roles.

“Women are increasingly expected to manage household survival despite rising inflation, unemployment, and reductions in public welfare support. Many women have entered informal or low-paid employment while simultaneously continuing unpaid domestic responsibilities such as cooking, childcare, eldercare, and emotional support for family members.”

She observed that while women traditionally bore the primary responsibility for cooking, cleaning, childcare, and caring for sick or elderly family members, shortages of cooking gas, electricity cuts, and transportation difficulties made household tasks more difficult and time-consuming. 

Accordingly, women have to spend additional hours finding affordable food, waiting in queues, and managing scarce resources, preventing many women from fully participating in economic and social activities.

Thus, Prof. Pinnawala noted that women’s invisible labour remained largely undervalued and insufficiently recognised in formal economic planning and policymaking. 

“Unpaid domestic work is rarely included in national economic indicators, and many policy responses continue to focus mainly on formal employment and macroeconomic recovery rather than gendered household realities. Therefore, although awareness has improved to some extent, women’s invisible labour is still structurally marginalised.”

“Since much of women’s labour is unpaid and socially undervalued, their sacrifices often remain invisible within economic policy discussions. Patriarchal social structures also limit women’s access to property ownership, stable employment, and decision-making power, making them more vulnerable during national crises,” she added. 

The path to gender-sensitive recovery

Against such a backdrop, Sri Lanka requires a gender-sensitive recovery process, which indicates the need for both structural and cultural change.

Prof. Pinnawala said: “First, economic policies must recognise unpaid care work and incorporate women’s experiences into national recovery planning. Social protection systems should specifically support female-headed households, informal sector workers, and vulnerable women. 

“Second, greater investment is needed in healthcare, childcare, education, and community welfare services to reduce the unpaid care burden placed on women. Expanding women’s access to secure employment, credit facilities, land ownership, and leadership opportunities is also essential.”

Nevertheless, despite systemic challenges, Prof. Pinnawala noted that Sri Lankan women had demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability, with women’s contributions to social survival during crisis periods being both essential and inspiring.

“Ultimately, a sustainable recovery in Sri Lanka cannot be achieved without recognising women not merely as victims of crisis, but as central social and economic actors in rebuilding society,” she stressed.