26 GENDER WAGE GAP IN SRI LANKA’S LOGISTICS AND MARITIME INDUSTRY

Abstract

26 GENDER WAGE GAP IN SRI LANKA’S LOGISTICS AND MARITIME INDUSTRY U.N.S.R. Perera., P.C.J. Nayanalochana and S.J. Francis Received: 28 September 2025 Revised: 27 November 2025 Accepted: 29 December 2025 How to Cite this Article: Perera U.N.S.R., Nayanalochana, P.C.J. and Francis S.J. (2025) Gender Wage Gap in Sri Lanka’s Logistics and Maritime Industry, Journal of Economics, Statistics and Information Management, 4(2), 26-52 Abstract This study examines gender wage disparities in Sri Lanka’s logistics and maritime industry, a sector central to national economic development yet largely absent from prior empirical analysis. While previous research has documented persistent gender pay gaps in the broader Sri Lankan labour force, evidence specific to logistics and maritime remains limited, despite the sector’s strategic role in global trade. Using survey data collected in 2024 from 390 employees in Colombo through purposive sampling, the study applies Ordinary Least Squares regression to identify key determinants of hourly wages and employs Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition to separate explained and unexplained components of the gender wage gap. The regression results indicate that female employees earn, on average, 16 percent less per hour than male counterparts after controlling for education, experience, and job- related factors. Decomposition analysis reveals that 53 percent of the wage gap can be attributed to differences in productive characteristics such as education, tenure, and contract type, while 47 percent remains unexplained, consistent with discriminatory practices or unobserved structural barriers. The finding that the explained portion is relatively larger highlights the importance of expanding women’s access to high-return attributes, while the persistence of an unexplained penalty underscores the need for equitable wage-setting and anti-discrimination measures. By situating the analysis within human capital and labour market discrimination frameworks, this study contributes new sector-specific evidence to debates on gender inequality in developing economies and offers policy-relevant insights for advancing Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and inclusive economic growth.