Bridging the gap: What will it take to get more women In management

IN 2019, MAS set a goal to achieve 30% women in management by 2025 as part of our Plan for Change. We wanted to aim high, but we also recognised the magnitude of the challenge. Even then, it was clear that deep structural and cultural barriers were holding women back from advancing in their careers.

- By Thanuja Jayawardene

The data reflected this. In Sri Lanka, women held only 12.5% of senior and middle management positions in 2021, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. And this is not a challenge unique to us. In 2020, women held just under 30% of similar roles across G20 countries (ILO, 2020), with cultural norms and societal expectations consistently cited as major obstacles.

Women are still overwhelmingly expected to shoulder the majority of domestic and caregiving responsibilities, even while working full time. The pandemic and economic crisis only intensified this imbalance. As caregiving, household duties, and work responsibilities all collapsed into the same physical space, many women were forced to exit the workforce or put their ambitions on hold. Through my work with Women Go Beyond, I've seen firsthand how these pressures play out. While we continue to advocate for women’s advancement up the career ladder, it is equally important to acknowledge and actively address the systemic obstacles that continue to stand in the way.

When looking at the broader challenge, female labour force participation in Sri Lanka stands at 31.6% as of 2023 —a figure that has barely shifted over the last decade, despite rising educational attainment and economic development. In fact, this marks a decline from a peak of over 45% in 1990. Much of the earlier gains came with the liberalisation of the economy in the 1980s and 1990s, which expanded job opportunities for women. But those policy shifts were not accompanied by the structural and cultural reforms needed to help women stay and grow in the workforce. As a result, we continue to see a drop-off in female representation at mid-to-senior levels.