Costs of Doing a Job for Urban Women in Sri Lanka

This study aims to address the knowledge gap on how ‘cost’ factors can affect the choice architecture for women entering or exiting the labour force by estimating the monetary and non-monetary costs of doing a job for urban women in Sri Lanka. Working-age women in the Western province that were categorized as either currently employed, previously employed, or never employed, were sampled through focus group discussions and a detailed survey questionnaire.

The study finds the perceived costs of doing a job for currently employed women is 1.6 times the compensation they receive, suggesting that costs can play an important role in women’s labour market participation.

Please note the study was conducted from Oct – Dec 2021 and the perceived costs are likely to have changed as a result of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.