Running on Empty: Depletion and Social Reproduction in Myanmar and Sri Lanka

Abstract

A social reproduction framework that uses depletion reveals how multiple crises intersect. We deploy this framework to examine the relationship between depletion and conflict. Drawing on research undertaken in Myanmar and Sri Lanka in early 2020, we argue that the weight of social reproduction under conflict conditions increases women's depletion. Our findings showed, however, that increased depletion was not due primarily to increased social reproductive labour but because of the intervening effects of conflict and violence against women. These findings add utility to the concept of depletion. We argue that understanding the depth of depletion in conflict requires more than a mathematical calculation. We also contend that depletion of social reproductive resources is a tactic of conflict. Therefore, to understand depletion through social reproduction in conflict, we must expand the concept to include the depletion of social reproduction. Lastly, we show that violence against women is a significant factor in women's depletion.