Briefing Note: From Survival to Resilience: Strategic Actions to Support Ethnic Minority Women Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka

Ethnic minority women entrepreneurs (EMWEs) have attracted growing scholarly and policy attention due to their significant economic contributions and the distinct challenges they encounter in entrepreneurial activities. Despite this, limited research has examined the experiences of Sri Lankan EMWEs, particularly regarding their contributions to economic development, the barriers they face, and the strategies they adopt to navigate uncertainty. This knowledge gap restricts the development of evidence-based policies and support mechanisms tailored to their needs. Therefore, this study explores the position and experiences of Sri Lankan EMWEs within a context of increasing uncertainties. The findings provide important insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers and offer valuable lessons for other developing countries that experience frequent uncertainty and disruption. This briefing note described the background of our study, the methods adopted and the key findings. The recommendations were supported by two theoretical lenses of Social Capital Theory and absorptive, adaptive and transformative framework of resilience.