Women In Sri Lanka: The Unseen Impacts Of The Pandemic

As the pandemic began, women started losing their livelihoods faster; many struggled to keep their households afloat, families fed, and children educated. The pandemic showed us the deep inequalities in our systems that have led to this unforeseen threat to women’s physical and financial security during a time of crisis.

Here are a few real, untold stories of women who faced the unseen impacts of the pandemic, showing us that women’s economic empowerment must be at the forefront of response and recovery.

UN Women in Sri Lanka, together with the State Ministry of Women and Child Development, Pre-Schools & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services, with support from the Government of Japan, is providing targeted capacity building and support for women affected by the pandemic to start their own businesses. These efforts ensure that women and girls in Sri Lanka are economically empowered and remain resilient in the face of crises, now and in the future.