FES International Policy Analysis Unit

FES Journal - International Politics and Society

Gender Issues - Philippines

The Philippines has one of the sharpest contradictions in gender equality today. Significant inroads in politics including having a woman president were achieved while numerous Filipinas continue to lead in national and international discourses and initiatives from the academe to politics and business. But there are are also the women who are at the receiving end of domestic violence, trafficking and prostitution, illegal recruitment and unfair employment contracts in other countries.

The society in the end still places many gender problems as trivial and marginal. The legal framework for women seems impressive but the challenges of implementation and cultural shift remains. The interplay of culture and institutions like the bureaucracy, political offices, and the church makes the discourse on gender issues very animated and usually polarized. This is the backdrop of the active women's movement in the country.

FES partners within the women's movement have initiated advocacy and lobbying projects to mainstream gender issues. Roundtable discussions, campaigns, and conferences are held to develop concepts and positions leading to legislations and policies. The current debate deals with domestic violence, abortion and divorce.

Gender awareness and sensitivity seminars also constitute the core of the activities -be it at the workplaces, in communities, in government agencies, or within NGOs and people's organizations. This is a response to the fact that within organizations-like trade unions and other people's organizations- and in institutions -like local governments, judiciary and state offices- women's participation is still limited and their concerns are often ignored.

Coalition-building is one of the effects of the conferences and trainings. Consolidated groups have participated in the Beijing+5 activities, women groups have joined in creating women-based party-list groups, and broad issue-based alliances have articulated their policy and agenda on gender fair laws, human rights, labor concerns and other social issues.

Filipino women are already part and parcel of economic development. They have been joining the labor force partly out of economic necessity and partly in response to economic opportunity. Even though female representation in the labor force can be considered high, there are still wide gaps between females and males. More men are employed than women (90.7 per cent for men compared to 87.7 per cent for women). The gap is even more striking in rural areas where only 88.6 per cent of the women are engaged in economy compared to 93.2 per cent of the men.

Women's earnings are generally lower than men's. This is especially true for top executive and managerial positions where women earn 24 per cent of men's earnings. In the lower rungs of the occupational hierarchy, the differences in earnings are similarly striking. However, in professional and technical occupations women's earnings exceed men's by 40 per cent. In clerical work and sales work they earn 15 per cent more and 17 per cent more, respectively.

Educational standards for women are relatively high: 18 per cent of employed women have at least a high school education, while 17.7 per cent have graduated from college. The figures for men are 20.9 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively.

However, the high female representation in the work force and in institutions of higher education is not reflected in the percentage of women in the Lower House, where it only amounts to 11.3 per cent.

The Philippines has a relatively strong women's liberation movement and a number of NGOs work to promote equality between men and women. Even though 12 per cent of Filipinos are union members, women are far less organized than men. This makes it difficult to establish the understanding that women's issues are also trade union issues. The process of development is reshaping the role of Filipino women. They tend to marry at a later age and it is particularly education that seems to influence this. However, traditional sex-role definitions assigning homemaking to women and financial provision for the family to men still persist.

Women and Political Participation in the Philippines - suggested readings

Gender Quotas in the Philippines
in: Global Database of Quotas for Women, A joint project of International IDEA and Stockholm University (International IDEA Website)

Philippine Institutions dealing with Gender Issues

Government

National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) is the Philippine Machinery for the Advancement of Women created by presidential Decree 666, dated January 7, 1975

Senate Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations

Committee on Women, House of Representatives, Congress of the Philippines

NGOs

Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) is a non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental regional organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting equal participation of women in politics and decision-making. CAPWIP was established in 1992 by a group of women from the Asia-Pacific region who share a vision of governance that affirms gender equality, integrity and accountability, excellence, sustainable development and peace.
CAPWIP advocates transformative politics which is the use of power to create change towards economic, social and political equity between sexes and among sectors within the context of shaping a society that is just, humane and promotes a sustainable way of life.

Center for Legislative Development (CLD) is a nonpartisan, independent legislative development organization that addresses both the need for institutional capability-building of legislatures and for broadening citizen participation in the legislative process. Envisions a society where relevant, responsive and gender-fair legislation is enacted by democratically-elected and functioning legislatures to promote equality , development and peace for all. Works to ensure people's participation in the legislative decision-making and implementation of laws at all levels of governance.

ISIS International Manila is a feminist NGO dedicated to women’s information and communication needs. Documenting ideas and visions. Creating channels to communicate. Collecting and moving information. Networking and building links. ISIS International Manila focusses on those advancing women’s rights, leadership and empowerment in Asia and the Pacific. With connections in over 150 countries, the NGO also keeps up with changing trends and analyses concerning women worldwide.

Kilusan ng Kababaihang Pilipino (PILIPINA) vows to work for women's full participation in leadership and governance, which stress on public office and social movements. Feminist exercise of power and leadership is: people centered, enabling and nurturing and nurturing; consensual, collective; inclusive; and effective, i.e., having one's say and actualizing one's will in every significant discourse. While PILIPINA's mission focuses on women and public power as the key sphere of intervention, it does encompass the entire range of women's concerns.

Salidumay is the largest and pioneer online coalition of organizations in the women's movement in the Philippines. It consists of non-governmental organizations involved in the promotion of women's rights in the following areas: domestic violence; prostitution and trafficking of women; politics and electoral reform; legislative advocacy and lobbying; media; and information and communications technology.

Woman's Action Network for Development (WAND) is a national network of autonomous organizations that recognize and are committed to the transformation of the systematic causes of gender oppression. Toward this end, WAND is engaged in empowerment work, especially empowerment of women from the grass-roots; development work with special focus in integrating and mainstreaming of gender issues; and advocacy for gender equality.