A Platform Built for Women
Sri Lanka's female labour force participation stands at approximately 33% — significantly below the global average and well behind male participation rates. Despite comprising over 51% of the population, women remain disproportionately excluded from formal economic life due to structural barriers: limited mobility, caregiving responsibilities, digital access gaps, and gender-biased hiring practices.
Women.lk is Sri Lanka's first dedicated digital platform designed to bridge this gap — offering employment pathways, an e-commerce marketplace, mentoring networks, financial literacy support, and community resources for women across all walks of life. The platform will serve urban professionals, rural entrepreneurs, returning mothers, and young graduates alike, creating a unified, trusted ecosystem for female economic empowerment.
This proposal outlines the technical requirements, implementation plan, marketing strategy, and financial considerations needed to develop and successfully launch Women.lk — with the goal of creating a sustainable platform that drives financial independence and economic resilience for women in Sri Lanka.
Women's unemployment is nearly double that of men in Sri Lanka's formal sector, with limited visibility of flexible and part-time roles.
Women-led home businesses in rural areas lack access to buyers, larger markets, and financial services to scale sustainably.
Many women lack access to skills training, professional mentoring, and the networks needed to compete in a modern economy.
Women earn approximately 18–22% less than men for comparable work, reinforcing economic dependency cycles across generations.
Women.lk is driven by two core goals: to activate economic participation among women in Sri Lanka, and to close the employment and opportunity gap between men and women in both the formal and informal sectors.
Help women highlight their skills, connect with the right employers, and earn sustainably — on their own terms, including part-time and remote options.
Enable employers across Sri Lanka to discover and recruit qualified female candidates through a single, trusted, purpose-built platform.
Become Sri Lanka's first and foremost destination for female employment, entrepreneurship, and professional development at all levels.
Create a comprehensive ecosystem of business support, financial literacy, and wellness resources accessible to women across all provinces.
Enhance market visibility for women entrepreneurs, enabling them to build sustainable customer relationships and grow revenue independently.
Advance Sri Lanka's progress toward UN SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through measurable platform outcomes.
Women.lk is built around fourteen core service pillars — each designed to address a specific barrier women face in entering or advancing within Sri Lanka's economy. Together, they form a self-reinforcing ecosystem of opportunity, support, and community.
Sri Lanka's first dedicated e-commerce space for women entrepreneurs to list, sell, and promote products and services directly to customers — supported by Women.lk social media advertising.
Core FeatureAffordable, value-based services: logo design, packaging, product photography, video production, and online content — available via flexible bundle packages for small businesses.
ServicePeer-to-peer and expert-led skills workshops for low-income women. Large enterprises invited as mentors to nurture early-stage start-ups led by women and girls.
CommunityConnecting home-based and group SMEs to established buyers, sellers, and corporate networks in Colombo and beyond — bridging the rural-urban business divide.
NetworkingBookkeeping and financial literacy services for women entrepreneurs at grassroots level — building the financial foundation for scalable, sustainable business models.
FinanceLinking users to vetted overseas opportunities via embassies, licensed agencies, and institutions — with country guides, cost-of-living info, and first-hand community experiences.
EmploymentAdvising partner companies to train women to internationally benchmarked skill standards — making Sri Lankan female professionals competitive in global labour markets.
StandardsA curated board of work-from-home, part-time, and freelance roles across journalism, event planning, photography, and more — enabling income alongside family responsibilities.
Job BoardA dedicated portal connecting senior industry leaders with women seeking guidance — structured as a CSR initiative for companies and a personal growth tool for individuals.
LeadershipFacilitated internship placements — 3 months to one year — at prestigious partner companies, with pathways for undergraduate, graduate, and recently graduated women.
CareerA safe, encouraging space for women re-entering the workforce after a career break — with confidence-building content, tailored job listings, and peer community support.
InclusionPromoting female-led events and seminars; publishing authentic user success stories; and organising community meets and university outreach to build member loyalty and inspiration.
CommunityAll figures in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR). Subject to finalisation after stakeholder consultation.
| Budget Item | Notes | Estimated Cost (LKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Development | Frontend/backend dev, database setup, testing, UX/UI design | 11,000,000 |
| Hosting & Security | AWS or Azure — 12 months; SSL, backups, monitoring | 1,800,000 |
| Payment Gateway | Integration and transactional fees for 12 months | 300,000 |
| Marketing — Launch Phase | Social media ads, influencer fees, PR campaigns, launch events | 2,000,000 |
| Operations & Maintenance | Content updates, platform fixes, admin support (Year 1) | 1,500,000 |
| Partnership & Business Onboarding | Events, outreach, materials, local coordination | 500,000 |
| Design & Marketing Services Fund | Logo, packaging, photography, video production (subsidised fees) | 1,000,000 |
| Workshops, Training & Events | Skills sessions, community meets, university and school programmes | 1,200,000 |
| Resource Development | Templates, video content, articles, online library setup | 400,000 |
| Contingency | Buffer for unforeseen costs (~4% of total) | 800,000 |
| Total Investment | Subject to adjustment after consultation | LKR 20,500,000 |
| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Low user adoption at launch | Medium | Aggressive pre-launch marketing; partnerships with women's NGOs and networks; referral incentives; targeted influencer campaigns. |
| Technical issues post-launch | Medium | Comprehensive QA testing phase; phased rollout; 24/7 monitoring and rapid-response technical support on standby. |
| Security breaches or data leaks | Low | SSL encryption, OAuth2 authentication, regular third-party security audits, automated backups, and full PDPA (2022) compliance. |
| Payment processing issues | Low | Multiple payment gateway integrations (Stripe, PayPal, local providers) to ensure redundancy and seamless transactions. |
| Digital literacy barriers among users | Medium | Multilingual UI (Sinhala, Tamil, English); simplified onboarding; video tutorials; helpdesk support and community training sessions. |
Key performance indicators for Year 1 post-launch.
Consult stakeholders to confirm budget allocations, explore grant opportunities (UNDP, ADB, GoSL initiatives), and secure initial funding commitments.
Upon stakeholder approval, brief the technical development team, confirm vendor selection, and commence the platform build within the defined 9-month roadmap.
Begin partner outreach to women's NGOs, corporates, and media; launch pre-registration campaigns and build community anticipation ahead of the platform debut.
Women.lk is more than a website — it is a movement. By combining marketplace access, employment pathways, mentoring networks, skills development, and community support in one trusted platform, Women.lk is positioned to create lasting, measurable change in the lives of women across Sri Lanka.