Women are still bound by gender roles when it comes to labor force participation, according to a study published by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
The authors, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Connie Dacuycuy and Lawrence Dacuycuy, noted that despite being more empowered than women in other Asian countries, women in the Philippines still do most of the housework, resulting in minimal economic opportunities for them.
This, they said, is based on deep-seated Filipino values that “women nurture and their comparative advantages are in housework," while “men provide and their place is in the labor market." These put women in a relatively disadvantaged position, forcing them to face de facto discrimination in the formal labor market.
The study also found that depending on gender, wage affects time allocated to housework. In the Philippines, data from a survey showed that male respondents’ wage negatively affects their wives’ time devoted to housework. A wage increase makes housework costlier for the male. The wife, in response, decreases her time for nonmarket work as well.
However, when the female respondents’ wage increases, their husbands’ time devoted to housework also increases, which according to the authors, may be interpreted as a way to support their career.
While recent evidence shows that women are robustly employed in the services sector, particularly in the banking, finance, and insurance and business services subsectors, still, labor market discrimination against women is still evident in the country, said the authors.
With women comprising about 50 percent of the country’s population, they urged government to find ways to support women’s participation in economically productive endeavors.
The authors proposed that government should also prioritize the micro, small, and medium enterprises and address issues on access to credit and technical skills, as well as sustaining and upscaling of enterprises.
To increase the time spouses spend together with their families especially at home, the government should also look into improving transportation in the country. This includes fixing road conditions and mass transport system such as the MRT and LRT.
“Doing housework together enhances marital relations through shared experiences. This also provides an avenue for spouses to understand each other’s attitudes, values, and preferences, which are valuable information in a repeated game such as marriage,” Dacuycuy and her co-author explained, adding that in other countries, spouses prefer to simultaneously enjoy their time for leisure.
They also suggested to explore provision of affordable daycare and tutorial services so that children may get good supplementary care while their parents are at work.
Meanwhile, recent proposals such as the four-day work week and the proposed tax reform package are seen to benefit households, especially those where both spouses are working. For example, the four-day work week will allow them to increase their time allocated to their households. As for the proposed tax reform package, the higher incentives for salaried workers will give them the opportunity to allocate more resources for helpers or supplemental care for their children.
Workers in the informal sector, who are seldom covered by labor market policies and regulations, should also be prioritized and given more protection, the authors recommended. ###
If you wish to know more about the study, download a copy of the policy note from the PIDS website.
The authors, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Connie Dacuycuy and Lawrence Dacuycuy, noted that despite being more empowered than women in other Asian countries, women in the Philippines still do most of the housework, resulting in minimal economic opportunities for them.
This, they said, is based on deep-seated Filipino values that “women nurture and their comparative advantages are in housework," while “men provide and their place is in the labor market." These put women in a relatively disadvantaged position, forcing them to face de facto discrimination in the formal labor market.
The study also found that depending on gender, wage affects time allocated to housework. In the Philippines, data from a survey showed that male respondents’ wage negatively affects their wives’ time devoted to housework. A wage increase makes housework costlier for the male. The wife, in response, decreases her time for nonmarket work as well.
However, when the female respondents’ wage increases, their husbands’ time devoted to housework also increases, which according to the authors, may be interpreted as a way to support their career.
While recent evidence shows that women are robustly employed in the services sector, particularly in the banking, finance, and insurance and business services subsectors, still, labor market discrimination against women is still evident in the country, said the authors.
With women comprising about 50 percent of the country’s population, they urged government to find ways to support women’s participation in economically productive endeavors.
The authors proposed that government should also prioritize the micro, small, and medium enterprises and address issues on access to credit and technical skills, as well as sustaining and upscaling of enterprises.
To increase the time spouses spend together with their families especially at home, the government should also look into improving transportation in the country. This includes fixing road conditions and mass transport system such as the MRT and LRT.
“Doing housework together enhances marital relations through shared experiences. This also provides an avenue for spouses to understand each other’s attitudes, values, and preferences, which are valuable information in a repeated game such as marriage,” Dacuycuy and her co-author explained, adding that in other countries, spouses prefer to simultaneously enjoy their time for leisure.
They also suggested to explore provision of affordable daycare and tutorial services so that children may get good supplementary care while their parents are at work.
Meanwhile, recent proposals such as the four-day work week and the proposed tax reform package are seen to benefit households, especially those where both spouses are working. For example, the four-day work week will allow them to increase their time allocated to their households. As for the proposed tax reform package, the higher incentives for salaried workers will give them the opportunity to allocate more resources for helpers or supplemental care for their children.
Workers in the informal sector, who are seldom covered by labor market policies and regulations, should also be prioritized and given more protection, the authors recommended. ###
If you wish to know more about the study, download a copy of the policy note from the PIDS website.
