Gender equality is a human right. The Philippines, for the past years, has been one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. However, according to the World Economic Forum (2017), the most recent Global Gender Gap Index shows that the Philippines slipped three spots from being the seventh place. Although the country remains in the top 10, the performance has been worsening partly due to the wage inequality for similar work carried out – which reflected on the wage equality for similar work indicator that dropped from the 7th place to 21st place.
Heyzer, et., al (1994) stated that while high rates of economic growth are a necessary-sufficient condition for social development or alleviating absolute poverty, it provides both momentum and a source the government can tap, however, the more inequality it generates, the higher the economic growth has to be in order to provide compensatory increases in absolute income at the bottom levels. Due to the unbalanced pattern of growth, the Philippines women’s labor force has been affected. Also, Tayao (2018) stated that even when unemployment rates dropped rapidly for women than for men, it does not always reflect women's working conditions. It may seem that women in the Philippines who joined the labor force may appear to have economic opportunities similar to men (Tayao, 2018).
Recently, the lawmakers are backing the House Bill (HB) No. 6769 which seeks to penalize those who would favor male employees over female employees in the assignment of duties in the workplace states that there should be no discrimination in the workplace. The lawmakers are backing the law because of the HB No. 4113 which grants a 100-days paid maternity leave to both government and private sector employees which they recently approved. They mentioned that the HB No. 6769 – the law that they raised to back up HB No. 4113 – will have to go to another three readings at the Senate approval before the President may sign it.
Is it essential to legislating it? The answer will still be under the hands of the President, but this paper will tackle why should they be implemented.
Work Discrimination
In 2005, Non-Government Organizations reported that despite their higher education, gender bias still manifests in the occupational and sectoral distribution of workers; and in the lower average wages of women compared to men (Leyesa et al., 2005, p. 5). Years later, significant changes have yet to manifest in this area.
The average annual unemployment rate among women has fallen from 7.8% in 2005 to 6.8% in 2013, but underemployment has been higher, ranging from 14.8% in 2010 to 16.2% in 2012 and 15.5 in 2013 (PSA, 2014a). The numbers also continue to be high: more than a million women are unemployed while 1.8 million are underemployed (PSA, 2014a).
As the 2013 labor force data suggests, men are found particularly in sectors that are traditionally described as physically demanding, such as agriculture, hunting and forestry, transport and storage, and construction. Meanwhile, more women are in sectors that could use their socially assigned feminine characteristics, such as nurturing and patience for repetitive work: education, community and health care, wholesale and retail trade, service activities and manufacturing (PSA, 2014b).
In some occupations, the employment share of women is disproportionately small in comparison with men. Since jobs are linked to physical work, there are far fewer women in trade and related workers, plant engineers and assemblers, and farmers, foresters and fisherfolks (PSA, 2014a). Similarly, compared to women, the number of male clerks is small – this shows that there are more occupations where women's involvement is limited. The persistence of these gender differences in employment and occupation in industrial sectors; and the gender division of labor, which assigns care responsibilities to women, have contributed to the continuing gender gaps in wages noted in the Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (2014).
The low participation of women in the organization's top hierarchy is also evident. While many female professionals (67.5%), they hold less than half (47%) of senior management positions (PSA, 2014a). Only 20% of elected officials in the public sector are women, although 59% of them work as government personnel (PSA, 2014b).
The heavy segregation of gender in TESDA's list of certified trainees reveals the limited skills women can develop. According to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority [TESDA] (2012), only two programs out of the 10 major kinds of training in 2010-2011, have women as the majority of the enrolled. In colleges and universities, women and men tend to specialize in different fields – with women outnumbering men in education or teacher training, business administration, and certain health fields (particularly nursing); and men dominating in engineering, trades, and industrial arts, urban planning, and the like (PSA, 2014b).
Data on Filipino migrants provide a clear picture of the continuing segregation of employment and gender pay gap. While the majority of men work as machine operators and assemblers or are traders and associated workers, the majority of women are employed as workers and unskilled. And even if the number of male and female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) is about the same, the average remittance of a male OFW is almost twice to that of a female OFW (PSA, 2014b).
Health
Health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, are crucial conditions for the full development of every human being. Health is more than a biological issue and according to the World Health Organization [WHO] (1946), "it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
According to the final report to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, both the biological concept of sex and the social construct of gender matter in health at all levels and impact differently on women and men’s health, access to health and health-care (Gita, Piroska, & Asha, 2007). Unfair access to resources – i. e. women that may have less land, wealth and property in almost all societies, but have greater labor burdens in the care economy-ensuring the survival, reproduction, and security of people (Gita, Piroska, & Asha, 2007) – coupled with other social factors poses unequal health risks and provides women and men with access to health information, care, and services. In addition, biological differences mean that women have specific health concerns and needs, especially in relation to their sexual and reproductive health.
Sexual and reproductive rights for women include: reliable, safe, and affordable contraception, coupled with sexual education and information in relation to sexual and reproductive health, free choice and consent (FDO, NCDPC, n.d.). It is vital that all women living in the Philippines must enjoy freely these rights and have full access to the related health services. Sadly, the Reproductive Health (RH) Law in the Philippines been only confined to contraceptives because the other elements of RH, which will similarly protect and promote the right to health and reproductive self-determination, have been largely ignored (Cabral, 2014).
Moreover, as stated by Gupte & Wagh (2014), health-care for pregnant women must begin as soon as possible in the first trimester of pregnancy in order to make it possible to identify specific conditions that may require surveillance, recognize social problems for which women may need help from social or mental health services and inform women about pregnancy related issues. Focus on the expectant mother’s health and the provision of extra attention to women at risk of preeclampsia, diabetes, and high blood pressure can significantly lower mother and child mortality and morbidity. Pre-conceptual examination of both partners needs to be promoted, as there are several health risks that can be avoided: genetic diseases that lead to hemophilia, infections (HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, Tuberculosis, diabetes and the prevention of Spina Bifida.)
The problems identified years ago are still ongoing. Although some gains have been made, Filipino women workers, including migrant workers, have limited career choices, partly because of the gendering of occupations and places of work and partly because of their education and training (TESDA, 2012). The focus should be on taking a strong position in favor of women’s human rights, including by denouncing women as second-class workers (Mckenzie, 1991); strengthening the demands of women for better-paid jobs through training in non-traditional fields in engineering, technology and the like; improving labor productivity in women-dominated fields, which could serve as a basis for improving wages in these sectors; and the introduction of improved technologies that make " heavy " work " lighter, " thus removing the basis for employers' bias towards male workers and/or their inclination to protect female workers from physically challenging tasks.
In order to ensure the integration of women’s perspectives and needs, the government should also take part. It should undertake legislative, administrative and financial measures to create a strong and enabling environment for women's entrepreneurship and participation in the labor market that include improved working conditions, create opportunities for career development, eliminate pay gaps based solely on gender (UNICEF, n.d.).
At the end of the day, empowering women and eliminating discrimination against women is a difficult challenge for the world today. Thus, requiring a need to establish laws and policies to reach gender equality. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan once quotes: "… when women are healthy, educated, and free to take the opportunities life affords them, children thrive and countries flourish – reaping a double dividend for women and children (UNICEF, 2006)."