Gender Diversity in Sri Lanka's Supply Chain Workforce – Why Are Women Missing from Customs?
Picture credit: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/press-release/2022/03/new-report-details-barriers-that-restrict-sri-lankan-workplaces
Walk into any customs house in Sri Lanka – at the Port of
Colombo, Katunayake Free Trade Zone, or Galle, and one observation is
unavoidable. Men dominate. Women are visible in clerical roles but strikingly
absent from clearance operations, inspections, and supervisory positions. This
is not incidental. It is a structured gender diversity failure with
real economic consequences.
The evidence
Sri Lanka has high female literacy (over 90%) and a majority
female university enrolment in humanities and commerce. Yet women constitute of
a very less licensed customs brokers and approximately 10% of frontline customs
officers. The drop-off happens between education and employment.
From a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) perspective,
this represents a classic "leaky pipeline." Talented women enter
supply chain studies but leave before or during customs careers due to:
- Shift
work and night inspections – Incompatible with gendered care
responsibilities
- Male-dominated
workplace culture – Including harassment and exclusion from
informal networks
- No
family-friendly policies – Such as on-site childcare or flexible
reporting times
What global best practice shows
Leading logistics hubs – including Dubai's Ports Authority
and Singapore Customs – have deliberately recruited women into frontline roles.
Their HR interventions include:
- Dedicated
women's recruitment targets (e.g., 30% of new inspector hires)
- All-female
inspection teams for shipments of women's garments and personal effects
- Subsidized
on-site childcare for shift workers
- Mandatory
sexual harassment training with clear reporting mechanisms
Best fit for Sri Lanka
Given fiscal and cultural constraints, a transitional best
fit strategy could include:
- Flexible
shift options for women with care responsibilities (e.g., fixed
day shifts only)
- Female
mentorship programs pairing junior women with senior women in
customs
- Anonymous
climate surveys to measure harassment without fear of retaliation
- Public
diversity commitments from the Director-General of Customs
The business case
This is not merely social justice. Women bring different
risk perspectives, communication styles, and integrity behaviors. Diverse teams
are more innovative and less prone to groupthink, including groupthink that normalizes
bribery.
What do you think?
Have you observed gender imbalances in Sri Lanka's logistics
sector? What one HR policy would make the biggest difference?
References:
Kossek, E. E., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2018). Women's
career equality and leadership in supply chain management. Journal of Business
Logistics, 39(2), 92–107. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326867679_Women's_career_equality_and_leadership_in_organizations_Creating_an_evidence-based_positive_change
Dubai Customs Honors Female Winners of Al Thuraya Award in
Support of Women's Vital Role in the Customs Sector https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/mobile/Pages/newsdetails.aspx?itemid=1918
Advancing Women for a Gender-Inclusive Customs https://www.worldcustomsjournal.org/article/73297-advancing-women-for-a-gender-inclusive-customs
Yes, the issue of gender inequality continues to persist in roles involving logistics and customs in Sri Lanka, more so when considering positions that require operational capabilities. In my opinion, one of the main obstacles includes the presence of policies and also the problem with shift-based work and infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I am concerned, an effective HR policy would be to ensure flexible shift systems accompanied by adequate protection from harassment. When female workers can enjoy the benefits of regular shifts along with a protective environment, they would be able to achieve the desired level of balance.
The problem cannot be solved if there is no change in these two aspects, despite having any recruitment targets established.
Thank you, this is a very grounded and practical reflection.
DeleteI agree with your point that targets alone are not enough. Without addressing shift structure and workplace safety, recruitment goals often don’t translate into retention or career progression for women in logistics roles.
Flexible shift systems help address one of the biggest structural barriers, care responsibilities and unpredictability of work hours. But equally important is a strong, enforceable anti-harassment framework, because workplace safety directly affects whether women stay in operational roles long-term.
So the real shift is from “hiring women into the system” to “making the system workable for women”. When both scheduling flexibility and psychological safety are in place, diversity targets become more sustainable rather than symbolic.
The point about the leaky pipeline is well made — but the pipeline metaphor itself is worth questioning. It assumes the problem is about keeping women in a system that was designed without them. The World Customs Journal has documented how customs organisations that deliberately redesigned operational roles — not just added flexibility as an afterthought — saw significantly stronger female retention than those that simply adjusted existing structures. The distinction matters because flexible shifts applied to a hostile culture produce limited results. Structural redesign and cultural change need to happen simultaneously rather than sequentially. What do you think would be harder to change in Sri Lanka's customs sector — the operational structures or the cultural norms within them?
ReplyDeleteThat’s a very strong critique, and I agree the “pipeline” metaphor can sometimes hide the deeper issue, that the system itself was not originally designed with inclusion in mind.
DeleteOn your question, in Sri Lanka’s customs sector, cultural norms are likely harder to change than operational structures.
Operational structures, such as shift systems, role definitions, or reporting lines, can be redesigned through policy decisions and administrative directives. They are visible, measurable, and can be adjusted relatively quickly if there is leadership commitment.
Cultural norms are more resistant because they are embedded in everyday behavior: informal networks, attitudes toward gender roles, and unspoken expectations in the workplace. Even when structures change, culture can continue to reproduce old patterns unless there is consistent reinforcement from leadership over time.
So while both must evolve together, culture tends to lag behind structure, and often determines whether structural reforms actually succeed in practice.
Your blog clearly highlights the importance of gender diversity in Sri Lanka’s supply chain, and I like how you showed its impact on performance and inclusivity. It’s a very relevant topic, especially in today’s business environment.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the industry is still heavily male-dominated, and cultural and workplace barriers can limit women’s participation . How can HR go beyond policies and actually create an environment where more women can join, grow, and stay in these roles?
Thank you, this is exactly where many DEI efforts struggle.
DeleteGoing beyond policy means focusing on daily workplace experience, not just recruitment. First, HR needs to ensure visible role models by promoting women into operational and supervisory positions, so new entrants can actually see a career path.
Second, workplace safety must be actively enforced, not just written, through strict anti-harassment reporting systems and accountability for managers.
Third, job design matters: predictable shifts, safer transport arrangements, and fair access to training opportunities help women stay and progress, not just enter.
Finally, culture change has to come from leadership behavior. When senior managers consistently support inclusion in practice, not just in statements, it slowly shifts norms.
So the key is moving from “having a policy” to “making inclusion visible, safe, and normal in everyday operations.”
This blog shares a really important perspective on gender diversity in Sri Lanka’s supply chain sector. It clearly shows the gaps that still exist, but also the positive impact diversity can bring to organizations. I found it interesting how you highlighted both the challenges and the opportunities. It makes the reader think about how much more can be achieved when workplaces become more inclusive. A very thoughtful and relevant write-up. Adding a small real-life example could make it even more engaging.
ReplyDeleteThank you, that’s a fair suggestion.
DeleteI agree that real-life examples can make the discussion more relatable and grounded. In many Sri Lankan logistics settings, you do see a pattern where women enter the sector in administrative or documentation roles, but very few move into operational areas like inspections or clearance work, mainly due to shift patterns and workplace culture.
Even in regional hubs like Singapore Customs or Dubai Ports operations, organizations only saw meaningful change when they combined policy with redesigned roles and strong leadership commitment to inclusion, not just recruitment targets.
So the key takeaway is that diversity becomes real when it is visible in daily operations, not just reflected in hiring statistics.
This is a really insightful article that clearly shows how gender diversity can strengthen supply chains in Sri Lanka. I like how you highlight both the opportunities and the existing gaps, especially in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see how increasing female participation not only supports equality but also improves overall performance and resilience of supply chains.
Do you think Sri Lankan companies are doing enough to create supportive environments (like flexible work policies or career growth paths) to attract and retain more women in supply chain roles?
Thank you, this is a very important question.
DeleteIn general, Sri Lankan companies are making some progress in policies, such as basic flexible work arrangements or general HR guidelines on inclusion. However, in supply chain and customs-related roles, these measures are often not yet strong or consistent enough in practice to meaningfully improve attraction and retention of women.
The bigger gap is usually not policy availability, but implementation and role design. For example, flexibility may exist on paper, but shift patterns, fieldwork expectations, and workplace culture still make it difficult for women to progress into operational roles.
So while the direction is positive, most organizations are still at an early stage. The real impact will come when supportive policies are combined with redesigned roles and consistent leadership commitment, not just written HR policies.
The DEI analysis shows that gender gaps in Sri Lanka's customs and logistics sector exist because of both cultural factors and work design and shift patterns and workplace norms. The main HRM finding shows that organizations must implement specific workplace policy changes which include shift flexibility and safe reporting systems to achieve their gender diversity goals.
ReplyDelete