This research publication of the Women and Media Collective is an important contribution to the discourse on and policy advocacy for recognizing the intersection of climate change and unpaid care work in Sri Lanka. Unpaid care work encompasses all the unremunerated work of care undertaken primarily by women every day, for the wellbeing of household members. It is the work that is undervalued because of social and ideological notions around gendered roles of women, overlooked in mainstream economic models that estimate the GDP of a country, and that are not assessed in relation to the time and labour expended. Climate change is a phenomenon that Sri Lanka has to address urgently in light of the intensification of disasters across the country. Climate disasters can take many forms including that of floods which require rapid relocation of communities, increased levels of heat where populations are issued health warnings and, drought which extend over long periods of time, and hence often are not seen as requiring immediate or urgent responses but are in fact equally devastating on the lives of communities. These phenomena are not confined to the arena of ‘natural’ disasters but are also outcomes of development planning that fall short of incorporating findings of long-term environmental impact assessments
Drawing on the lived experiences of women in three districts in Sri Lanka, Colombo, Monaragala and Gampaha, the research documents and analyses the ways in which floods, droughts and urban heat impact on women. The research included a time use survey on the daily activities of women, documentation of how women build and use social support networks at the community level which then become crucial in times of such crises, what formal processes they are able to access for relief, and most importantly the perceptions and understanding of women themselves about how climate change affects their lives.
Acknowledgments
The Women and Media Collective extends its heartfelt gratitude to The Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung (RLS) for supporting us in carrying out this research.
The Women and Media Collective extends its appreciation to the 60 women whose stories and experiences inform the findings detailed in the pages of this report. Their time and willingness to be part of this process and extend themselves in recognition of climate justice reinforces the urgency of this work; the bolstering of this cause. We also wish to thank the following individuals for their crucial collaboration and support during the data collection process:
- K.T Somalatha – Uva Welassa Women’s Organisation
- Nelummali Devasinghe – Nodutu Lokaya Organisation
- Rasanjali Pathirage – National Forum for Women with Disabilities
- Chamara Wijesinghe – National Forum for Women with Disabilities
- Fathima Nazeera Rizvi – Kolonnawa Suvashakti Sanvidanaya
We extend our sincere thanks to Suresh Amuhena for data tabulation, and Rashmini De Silva for content analysis. We also acknowledge with appreciation the unwavering support of the staff at the Women and Media Collective, whose contributions, enthusiasm and solidarity were invaluable in seeing this pilot study and research report through. Finally, we wish to express our gratitude to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation for supporting us in carrying out this research.
Key Findings
1. Time use and care burden
- Unpaid care dominates women’s days. Most respondents spend multiple hours daily on childcare, cooking and cleaning; many combine supervisory care with income activities.
- High intensity for some groups. Women caring for children with disabilities or multiple dependents report the longest care hours and greatest constraints on paid work and rest.
- Resource tasks are time‑consuming. In Monaragala (dry zone) many women spend 1–3+ hours collecting water or firewood; in Colombo and Gampaha, urban constraints limit home gardening and increase other burdens.
2. Climate exposure and differentiated impacts
- Heat is universal: 95% reported extreme heat/heatwaves across all districts.
- Flooding concentrated in Colombo and Gampaha: 90–100% of respondents in those districts experienced floods in the last two years; Monaragala reported far fewer floods but more drought and water scarcity.
- Crop failure and water shortages: Monaragala shows the highest incidence of crop loss and clean water shortages, intensifying women’s care and livelihood burdens.
3. How disasters change care work
- All care tasks intensify simultaneously. Cleaning, cooking, childcare, eldercare and disability care become harder, take longer, and require more physical and emotional effort during disasters.
- Coping is largely reactive. Women reorganize time (early/late work), rely on informal networks, prioritize tasks, or send dependents to relatives rather than accessing anticipatory institutional support.
4. Health impacts and access to care
- Women themselves fall ill most often. Skin infections, fevers, respiratory problems and dehydration are common after climate events.
- Access barriers: transport, mobility, time poverty and cost limit healthcare use—especially in Monaragala where distances and infrequent transport are acute. Mobile clinics and private care are underused due to access or cost.
5. Institutional support and gaps
- Support is uneven and short‑term. When available, relief is mainly food, water and temporary shelter; psychological support, household repair assistance and disability‑inclusive services are limited.
- Informal networks fill gaps. Family, neighbours and local community groups are primary sources of help; formal actors (Grama Niladhari, NGOs, police/military) play a smaller, often reactive role.
- Barriers to equitable relief: bureaucratic processes, visibility of damage, proximity to main roads, and political patronage affect who receives aid. Droughts and slow‑onset events are often not treated as emergencies, delaying support.
Economic impacts and household expenses
- Widespread extra costs. 55 of 60 respondents reported increased household spending during climate events—medicine, transport, drinking water, food, repairs and fuel.
- Climate shocks deepen precarity. Loss of livelihood assets (e.g., pottery wheels, crops) forces women to use limited savings or compensation for immediate survival, increasing debt risk.
Local governance perspectives (councillor interviews)
- Reactive governance and fiscal constraints. Local councils prioritize emergency relief over anticipatory adaptation because budgets and decision cycles are trigger‑based.
- Depoliticized and universalist narratives. Some officials frame disasters as “natural” and affecting everyone equally, obscuring differentiated vulnerabilities and the gendered care burden. Political bias can influence relief distribution.
Recommendations (summary)
The report adapts the 5R framework—Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Represent, Respond—and proposes concrete actions:
- Recognize unpaid and environmental care in national climate policy, NAPs and NDCs; collect gender‑disaggregated time‑use data.
- Reduce care burdens through investments in water, energy, clean cooking, and climate‑resilient infrastructure and early warning systems tailored to carers.
- Redistribute care via state‑provided, disability‑inclusive childcare and eldercare, gender‑transformative programs engaging men, and targeted social protection.
- Represent caregivers in climate decision‑making with quotas and meaningful consultation mechanisms.
- Respond by reforming disaster law and operations to include care needs, creating adaptive cash transfers and livelihood recovery grants, and ensuring accessible evacuation and relief centres.
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