GENDER IN THE WORKPLACE

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

• Understand the importance of equal respect among co-workers in

the workplace.

• Value cooperation and mutual understanding in the workplace; and

• Apply work integrity and honesty

MEN AND WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

GENDER WORK EQUALITY

-- It refers to equal rights,

responsibilities and opportunities
that all persons should enjoy,
regardless of whether one in born
male and female (Wiitenberg-Cox,
2015).
The ILO (1996) has adopted an
integrated approach to gender equality
and decent work. This means, for
instance, enhancing equal employment
opportunities through measures that
also aim to improve women’s access to
education, skills training and
healthcare, while taking women’s role
in the care economy adequately into
account, for instance through work–
family balance measures and providing
workplace-level incentives for the
provision of childcare and parental leave.
The aim of gender equality in the workplace is to
achieve broadly equal outcomes for women and
men, not necessarily outcomes that are exactly
the same for all. To achieve this requires:

• Workplaces to provide equal pay for works

equal or comparable value.

• Removal of barriers to the full and equal

participation of women in the workforce.

• Access to all occupations and industries,

including leadership roles, regardless of gender;
and

• Elimination of discrimination on the basis of

gender, particularly in relation to family and
caring responsibilities.
Achieving gender equality is important for
workplaces not only because it is “fair” and the
“right thing to do,” but because it is also linked
to a country’s overall economic performance.

Workplace gender equality is associated with:

❖ Improved national productivity and

economic growth.

❖ Increased organizational performance.

❖ Enhanced ability of companies to attract

talent and retain employees.

❖ Enhanced organizational reputation.

In the context of the world of work, equality
between women and men includes the following
elements:

✓ Equality of opportunity and treatment in

employment.
✓ Equal remuneration for work of equal value.
✓ Equal access to safe and healthy working
environments and to social security.
✓ Equality in association and collective
bargaining.
✓ Equality in obtaining meaningful career
development.
✓ A balance between work and home life that
is fair to both women and men.
✓ Equal participation in decision-making at all
levels.
Gender Gap at Work

• In the workplace, mean and women are

often expected to perform different tasks
and occupy different role based on their
sex.

• Significant adjustment has made to

narrow existing gaps among women and
men workforce although traditional
perspective in gender roles remains
predominant in many corporations/
agencies.

• The positions that men and women hold

within the corporation are often
determined by sex.
Let us take a look at some kinds of Gender bias:

▪ Unequal pay

▪ Interview questions

▪ Diminished responsibilities

▪ Glass ceilings

▪ Position bias

▪ Terminations

▪ Outdated views

▪ Sexual Harassment
Ideally, in order to achieve gender equality in the
workplace, companies should strive to provide
broadly the same outcomes and privileges to
both men and women.

Some of the features of this would include:

• Equal pay for the jobs or roles which are the

same/ commensurate for dissimilar one.

• No barriers for women/men/ LGBTQIA to

participate full in the workplace.

• No discrimination against anyone with

regards to their family and care giving
responsibilities.

• Equal access to leadership position.

What can governments do?

• Government could act for

intervention that can be applied to
bridge gender gaps: laws, policies and
regulations; financial incentives and
support; technology and
infrastructure ; creation of economic
opportunity; capability building; and
advocacy and shaping attitudes.
 GAD and the Filipino Workers

1. Mainstreaming Gender and

Development in Philippine Workplace

In consonance to that commitment, the

1987 Philippine Constitution clearly
states that

“The State shall promote comprehensive

rural development, and shall recognize
the role of women in nation building and
shall ensure the fundamental equality
before the law of women and men
(Article 2, Sections 14 & 21).
RA 9710- Magna Carta for Women

The State realizes that equality of men

and women entails the abolition of the
unequal structures and practices that
perpetuate discrimination and inequality
in the workplace.

To realize this, the State shall endeavor to

develop plans, policies, programs,
measures, and mechanisms to address
discrimination and inequality in the
economic, political, social, and cultural life
of women and men.
 RA 7192 – women in Development and
Nation Building

This mandates all government departments and

agencies to review and revise all regulation,
circulars, issuances and procedures to remove all
gender biases.

Memorandum Circular No. 2011-01

(October 21, 2011)

This was released addressing all Government

departments including all attached agencies,
offices, bureaus, SUCs and GOCCs and all other
government instrumentalities as their guidelines
and procedures for the establishment,
strengthening, and institutionalization of the GAD
Focal Point System (GFPS)
 Gendered Workplace in the
Philippines

• The Philippines is more progressive than

both Asian neighbors and a majority of
Western countries in terms of gender
diversity.

• According to the 2013 Global Talent

Competitiveness Index, the Philippines
has the strongest talent landscape of all
lower middle-income countries in Asia
Pacific.
 Gendered Workplace in the
Philippines

• Victor Saulon (2018) reported PHL leads

Asia Pacific on gender equality in work.

• The Philippines has achieved a female-

male ratio of close to 1.00 in leadership
positions, making the country stand out
in a region with low level of women in
this indicator.
 Gender-Based Gap in the Philippine
Workplace

• World Bank report published by Michelle V.

Remo in Philippines Daily Inquirer (June 23,
2012), Filipino working women are paid just 76
percent of what their male counterparts get,
indicating that despite growth and
development there is still a significant gap in
opportunities for men and women in the
Philippines.

• Motoo Konishi, World Bank director for the

Philippines said, the Philippines is in many
ways advanced in gender and development.
However, there are still problems that need to
be addressed.