Economic policy liberalization in Sri Lanka has been associated with, as in many other developing countries, rising female labour force participation in the manufacturing sector. Coupled with the other economic changes that have been taking place, the feminization of Sri Lanka’s manufacturing industry has had a profound effect for effective labour legislation. The study reviews the existing legislation to assess the extent to which it is meeting its original objectives of ensuring social justice, and whether regulations designed to protect women workers have led to even more discrimination against them.
