Women over 18 years of age in Sri Lanka will now be able to legally purchase alcohol, the country's finance minister said Wednesday.

According to Mangala Samaraweera, the Sri Lankan government is amending the law that installed the ban 63 years ago.

The amendment will also allow women to work at places that serve alcohol without prior state approval.

Many women took to social media to thank the government for the change of law, which was deemed discriminatory against women.

The ban was initially introduced under the premise that most women in Sri Lanka did not consume alcohol as it was against their culture.