In July 2025, Sri Lanka’s government repealed legislation that barred women from working night shifts in the hospitality industry. But deep legal, structural and gendered restrictions continue to shut women out of night work and the formal labour force. Unless these barriers are tackled comprehensively, relaxing select night work restrictions will remain tokenistic rather than a pathway to genuine women’s economic empowerment.
Night work for women in Sri Lanka is governed by a suite of outdated laws, limiting their employment and income opportunities and reinforcing gender norms. The Shop and Office Employees (Regulation of Employment and Remuneration) Act 1954 restricts women from employment in shops or offices before six in the morning or after six at night. Limited exceptions apply, such as to residential hotels. Originally framed as welfare measures, these laws make female hires costly for employers and create demand-side constraints on female employment.
Some of the restrictions were relaxed in a legal amendment that took effect in May 2024. Women employed in information technology, knowledge process outsourcing, business process outsourcing and administration or accounts roles for offshore companies were allowed to work beyond 6 pm. According to employers, this change is predicted to benefit a large female workforce in an industry with over 300 companies.
Night work restrictions and the absence of flexible work arrangements have a debilitating effect on Sri Lanka’s...
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