The Impact of Increased Female University Entrants Compared to Males on Sri Lankan Organizations

Women are no longer a minority group at the university level and they constitute over 60% of university and higher education students in Sri Lanka (Gunawardena, 2020), with dramatic consequences on the labour force. Since a greater proportion of females than men have been educated through higher education, private and public sectors have faced both opportunities and issues in Sri Lanka.

Source: Statistics Division,  University Grant Commission. Colombo. 2012 

1. Boosting Workforce Diversity and Innovation

The employment of experienced female graduates in labour market has resulted in a higher level of female membership in Sri Lankan firms. There is no escaping the evidence that heterogeneous teams generate innovation, as its members contribute their own rich ranges of perspectives and solution methods (Phillips et al., 2014). In sectors like healthcare, finance and education where the gender ratio is rising, gender ratio of the decision making process is beneficial to the respective organizations. It is this phenomenon that is getting companies to become more market responsive to an identifiable consumer segment and to offer strategic international market edge of delivery to a particular consumer group.

2. Enhancing Organizational Performance and Economic Growth

It is common for women to enter the workforce more frequently and this is attributed to economic growth, as general women's education is linked to increased productivity and family incomes (McKinsey Company, 2018). In Sri Lanka workplaces a stream of qualified women is entering the ranks in senior management, research, and technical jobs is emerging. As in all these cases, however, the limited number of male university administrators has led one to wonder whether there is a skill deficit in stereotypically male-controlled jobs, like engineering and technology although women's participation is far less than men's in those areas.

3. Promoting Gender-Responsive Work Cultures

In a trend toward increasing the percentage of women in the labor force, companies have a number of approaches they are taking to address the need for a more traditionally female working environment, that is, the provision of flexible work arrangements, family leave and safe work environments. This shift benefits also the whole staff, not only the women, as, in fact, the same trends in policies have been proved to make the work satisfaction and productivity of people improved (Ali et al., 2021).

4. Addressing Gender Gaps in Leadership

Despite the increasing number of female graduates entering the labour market, they still have a lack of representation in executive positions. This gap highlights the necessity of a prevention strategy to support career advancement of women, to the guidance of mentors and equal pay, and to the advancement of careers (UNDP, 2020). If no such work is undertaken however, full potential of this brain empowered female work force can be compromised.

In conclusion, although the number of female university students are increasing in organizations, it has been advantageous for Sri Lankan organizations in terms of diversity as well as improving productivity. But navigating this pattern while providing targeted assistance to male entrants in high need areas, and overcoming leadership hurdles for women, are critical for achieving a genuinely inclusive workforce.

Life of working women 

References

Gunawardena, C. (2020). Women in Sri Lanka’s Higher Education. Colombo: University of Colombo.

Phillips, K. W., et al. (2014). Diversity and Innovation in Teams. Harvard Business Review, 92(9), 74-82.

McKinsey & Company. (2018). The Power of Parity: Advancing Women's Equality in Asia Pacific.

Ali, M., et al. (2021). Gender-Responsive Work Cultures. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 42(5), 679-698.

UNDP. (2020). Women’s Representation in Sri Lankan Organizations: Progress and Challenges.