Grantee: Women and Media Collective (WMC)
Partner organizations: N/A
Country of focus: Sri Lanka
Grant period: November 2025 – January 2027
FutureWORKS Asia is part of a global initiative supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, aimed at addressing the evolving challenges in the world of work across the Global South. As the Asian arm of the broader FutureWORKS network, the initiative is led by LIRNEasia and focuses on supporting high-quality, innovative, and gender-responsive research to inform skills development and policy pathways for an inclusive and sustainable future of work in Asia.
Following the completion of the first competitive selection process, five research projects under Cycle 1 are currently ongoing. In November 2025, FutureWORKS Asia onboarded seven additional research projects under Cycle 2, expanding the regional research network. These Cycle 2 projects will run until April 2027, deepening evidence and policy engagement across diverse future-of-work themes, including climate transitions, gender, and labour market transformation.
WMC has been selected to conduct a 15 month research and advocacy project, Gender-Responsive Energy Transition in Sri Lanka: Insights from Mannar and Monaragala.
As Sri Lanka accelerates its transition towards renewable energy and carbon neutrality, energy transition initiatives are reshaping local economies, labour markets, and livelihoods. However, the social and gendered dimensions of these transitions remain under-examined. This project investigates how large-scale solar and wind energy projects in Mannar and Monaragala—two districts with distinct socioeconomic and historical contexts—have included or excluded women, and how these transitions have affected women’s access to decent work, livelihoods, and economic security.
Monaragala, marked by high levels of rural poverty and energy deprivation, and Mannar, a post-war district shaped by unresolved land issues and community grievances, offer contrasting yet critical contexts to examine whether Sri Lanka’s energy transition is just, inclusive, and gender-responsive. The study seeks to generate evidence-based insights to inform more equitable energy and labour transitions, ensuring that climate action does not reinforce existing inequalities.
-
Research objectives
-
Methodology
-
Grantee information
-
Research team
-
Publications
The overarching objective of the project is to identify pathways for gender-responsive and inclusive energy transitions in Sri Lanka that enhance women’s participation in decent work and strengthen economic security.
Key research questions include:
- To what extent have women been included in the planning and implementation of solar and wind energy projects in Mannar and Monaragala?
- How have energy transition projects created or constrained women’s access to paid employment and income-generating opportunities?
- What economic opportunities—such as training, entrepreneurship, or community programmes—have women accessed, and what factors enable or limit these opportunities?
- What socio-cultural norms and structural barriers prevent women from fully benefiting from energy transition initiatives?
- How can policy frameworks and inclusivity initiatives be strengthened to advance women’s participation in decent work within energy transitions?
Sub-objectives include mapping existing energy transition initiatives, assessing community participation and prior informed consent processes, conducting a comparative regional policy analysis, and developing actionable policy recommendations.
The research is grounded in Just Transition and Energy Justice, focusing on distributive, procedural, and recognitional justice. A primarily qualitative, participatory approach will be used, complemented by policy and secondary data analysis.
Key methods include:
- Mapping of existing energy transition projects in Mannar and Monaragala
- Focus group discussions using participatory time-mapping techniques to capture gendered labour patterns
- Validation meetings with community members to co-develop solutions
- Key informant interviews with policymakers, private sector actors, and civil society organisations
- Comparative regional and national policy analysis of gender-responsive energy transition models
The study places strong emphasis on ethical research practices, community participation, and feedback loops to ensure findings are grounded in lived realities.
The Women and Media Collective (WMC) is a leading national-level feminist organisation in Sri Lanka that has played a significant role in advancing democratic, social, and political change. WMC works at the intersection of research, advocacy, and policy engagement, acting as a bridge between grassroots women’s organisations and national-level policymaking institutions. Its work has contributed to landmark legislative and policy reforms in Sri Lanka, including the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act and the introduction of women’s quotas in local government. WMC has a strong track record of mixed-methods research, feminist economic analysis, and sustained engagement with policymakers, civil society, and international organisations.
- Dr. Sepali Kottegoda – Director, Programmes (Gender and Political Economy and Media) and Principal Investigator
Leads the project’s overall direction, research design, and policy engagement, drawing on feminist political economy and gender justice perspectives. - Tharanga de Silva – Director, Operations
Oversees project implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and financial management. - Druvinka Samuel – Programme Officer
Coordinates fieldwork and community engagement, supports data collection, and assists with research implementation. - Dulani Hannadige – Programme Manager (Gender and Political Economy)
Supports research coordination and analysis, contributing expertise in gender policy and women’s rights.
This project is one of the twelve projects selected under the FutureWORKS Asia, a research initiative funded by IDRC and led by LIRNEasia, a pro-poor, pro-market think tank specializing in digital infrastructure and policy research. LIRNEasia’s work focuses on leveraging digital technology to enhance knowledge, information access, and economic opportunities, particularly for underserved communities.
Follow us for updates:
X: @FutureWORKSAsia
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/futureworks-asia/posts/?feedView=all