CHAPTER 6
Women and the Economy: Women and Work
Work is often understood as livelihood. While both men and women have
problemsconcerning work, women have specific labor issues related to their gender.
The following are work-related issues surrounding women around the globe, as
described in the 2015 UN World’s Women Report.
[Link] are fewer women than men at work and mostwomen only work in one sector.
Women often work in vulnerable employmentsuch as jobs with no job security or with
dangerous working conditions.
Examples are housemaids who are at risk for unemployment and abuse. Women who
work in the public sphere are delegated to theservice sector such as education, social
work, health care and domestic work. This iscalled the occupational segregation of
women.
[Link] Gap – Specifically, women only earn 70 – 90%of what men earn in mostcountries.
Women also work an average of two more hours a day due to additional housework.
The sharing of unpaid work at home is also an issue as family responsibilitiesmay get in
the way of women’s career advancement.
c.) Maternity and paternity leaves – thankfully, thenumber of paid workdays thatcan be
taken by a woman to care for her newborn child has increased in most countries.
Women, Work, and Poverty in the Philippines
Women as a social class are the fifth poorest in the country, as 15.6% of women
areclassified as poor in 2015.
The 2015 Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) + NGO Report of the University of
thePhilippines Center for Women’s Studies confirms that women still face the same
issues at work today as they did ten years ago. Women still experience limited career
choices, lack of support facilities, sexual harassment, lack of protection for domestic
workers, tenuous social protection, limited monitoring on labor standards , and
unremitting promotion of labor export policy.
2013 Gender statistics of PSA reported that:
a.) Womenmake up 37.5% of salaried workers inthe Philippines.
b.) 3 out of 5 women are underemployed.
c.) Four out of five women wageearners work full time in the service sector
Women and Education
Gender Parity (equality in terms of number and proportion)in primary education is
present not just in the Philippines but all over the [Link] in education involve the
gendered nature of certain specializations.
Women may be under represented in STEM Fields – science, technology,engineering
and [Link] are also underrepresented in vocational courses781 million
people aged 15 and over still remain illiterate, with women making up 2/3 of this
statistic.
The Philippine Government committed itself to the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)developed by the UN from 2000 to 2015.
Goal #2 : by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a
fullcourse of primary schooling
Goal#3: to eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, by 2005, and
in all levels of education no later than 2015
Women and Health
Women-specific health needs are often linked to sexual and reproductive health needs
Maternal Health has improved considerably. However, women's pregnancy and child
birth are still the main health concerns of women aged 15-29, which are also
complicated by HIV/AIDS.
Women are becoming more obese than men while men are more at risk for tobacco-
related illnesses.
Other health care issues:
•Lack of access to health care facilities, services and health centers due to lack of health
professionals
•The Philippines underspends for health, lower than the 5% benchmark suggested by
theWorld Health Organization
•Medicines are not subsidized by insurance companies or the government
•Women seeking for abortion are still stigmatized.
•Teenage pregnancy in the country had a 65% rise from the years 2000 to 2010. This is
due to the lack of information on sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), sex
education, and access to contraceptives.
•1 of 10 of teenage girls is pregnant or already a mother
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RA 10354)
-aims to address the gaps in reproductive health.
-Guarantees universal access to all methods of family planning, fertility management,
sexuality education, and maternal care for all Filipinos
Given the taboo nature of sex and sexuality in families, parents may not discuss this
informationwith their children until it is too late.
Violence Against Women (VAW)
-Globally, 1 of 3 women has experienced some form of VAW in her life
-1 of 5 women experienced attempted or actual rape in her lifetime.
-Half of the victims worldwide are composed of girls below the age 16
-Women make 80% of the victims of human trafficking
Culture-Specific Violence such as bride burning, child brides, or female genital
mutilationis still practiced despite its violation of a person’s basic human rights.
Women and Armed Conflict
A special form of victimization occurs for women in armed conflicts.
Due to women’s socialized gender roles as keepers of culture, and bearers of race, rape
andsexual violence are seen as war tactics to instill fear in community.
Women are prone to harassment or are made to enter domestic servitude. Others who
hope to find work outside of their camps become victims of forced prostitution and
human trafficking.
Rido, or clan violence, as well as military occupation make indigenous Filipino women
prone to harassment. Other issues include subhuman evacuation conditins, forced
recruitment into rebelcamps, killings, abduction, psychosocial trauma, and hostage-
taking.
To secure women’s safety, the Philippine National Action Plan on Women, Peace and
Security was adopted. It reflects that “All women shall be protected from all forms of
violence as provided for in existing laws”
Women in Power and Politics
Women compose only 22% of the parliament today. 143 of 195 countries have
constitutional provisions to ensure gender equality.
Philippines ranked 7th in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index for
2015due to the number of women participating in the election process, as well as those
in office.
2013 election data showed that 25% of those elected for Senate and 27% of those
elected for theHouse of Representatives were women. However, women in power still
make up less than half of those elected.
Gender equality in decision-making still has a long careof their families. Also, Filipino
voters often look for someone who is aggressive and assertive.
Institutional Mechanisms and the Human Rights of Women
Magna Carta of Women – groundbreaking law that serves as the “comprehensive bill of
rights for Filipino Women”
Women’s Empowerment, Development, and Gender Equality (Women’s EDGE) Plan
for2013 – 2016
– framework plan for gender mainstreaming developed by the Philippine Commission
on Women (PCW)
Despite institutional mechanisms existing for women’s advancement, the human rights
of women are still violated in various ways due to sexism and misogyny that pervade
every aspectof society.
For example, certain laws are anti-women.
-The Penal Code imposes heavier consequences for women who commit adultery versus
men.
-The law also gives the last say regarding joint property to the male spouse
Discrimination Againstt the Girl Child
●Women experience their first forms of discrimination during childhooood. When this
experience continues until their adult life, it increases a systematic cycle of abuse. Some
girl-cildren may fall victim to female infanticide (infant killing) and sex-selectiveabortio.
In other developing countries, poor families choose to give boys moreung girls to older
men
●Teenage pregnancy hampers the young mother’s access to education and economic
opportunities.
●Child trafficking, child labor and domestic slavery are also some issues.
trafficking, child labor and domestic slavery are also somalso somee issues.
●Inndigenous and Muslim girls in the Ph are subjected to forced and early marriages.
This is allowed to indigenous customry las and the Code of Muslim Personal Laws
●Child way for po receive a large dowry
●Female Circumcision is a harmful traditional practice. The Yakan Tribe of Basilan use
this as rite of passage.
FILIPINO WOMEN IN ANOTHER SECTOR
Muslim Women/Women of Islam
Historically, the "Moros" or Muslims in the Philippines were said to come from at least
two sultanates in Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, during the pre-Hispanic era.
Muslim women in the country are affected by armed conflict. They have become
widows and survivors, and consequently, bear the burden of solely providing for their
respective families. Armed conflicts in Mindanao are reportedly concentrated in
Muslim-majority areas and are considered one of the world's longest-running violent
conflicts.