CROSS-CUTTING

ISSUES IN
GENDER AND
SEXUALITY
Lesson 25: Gender and Labor
Lesson Objectives
■ This module discusses relationship of gender, gender equality, and labor. This also the policies on
gender equality in the labor market. Further, this module tackles the status of gender equality in
the various sectors of the labor market. At the end of this module, you should be able to:

■ understand fully the relationship of gender, gender equality and labor;

■ determine the status of gender equality in the various
■ comprehend salient policies on gender equality in the labor market.
Definition of Terms
■ Labor- Activities pertaining to developing goods and delivering services
for economic reasons.
■ Workforce- a sector in the population engaged in economic and
productive activities.
Introduction

■ Women face different constraints from men in the labor market. This is
recognized in Republic Act 9710, known as the Magna Carta of Women,
enacted in 2009.
■ This act recognizes that equality of men and women entails the abolition
of the unequal structures and practices that perpetuate discrimination and
inequality (PCW 2010). In Connection with employment, the Philippine
Commission on Women (PCW) indicates that the Magna carta of Women
will level the playing field by making resources economic opportunities
equally available for both men and women.
■ The reality is that once a child is born, she/he does not know how to do any work.
■ As children grow up, they learn to do various work, but society encourages them do certain
specific work, e.g. girls are asked to help in cooking and cleaning, while boys are asked repair
certain things. This distribution of labor is based on sex, and not on individual capacity or
skill sets.
■ This affects girls and women adversely. Since girls are expected to take care of the family and
household, their education is not a priority for the family.
■ Both boys and girls should be given equal opportunity to learn different skill sets based on
their interest and to grow. Household chores are not only women’s responsibility, it is also
household’s responsibility, and all family members should contribute to it.
Employment Sectors
■ Agriculture- Women farmers do not have an equal opportunity to acquire land or
register it in their own names. They have fewer inheritance rights than male farmers.
Land ownership is Important not only to women’s ability to earn income, but also as a
source of empowerment and within the household. Their lack of land also affects their
ability to gain access to credit facilities.
■ Women also hindered in their access to extension services; skills including training in
and marketing skills; and improved farming equipment.
■ They require special assistance to achieve equal access, and this can be through gender-
specific action plans that target the needs of women farmers and mainstreaming that is
monitored for effectiveness to ensure that women share appropriately in the sectors
growth.
Industry and Manufacturing
■ The number of women working on economic zones is estimated to represent 64% of total
employment and maybe much higher in the industry such as electronic and apparel. (World
Bank 2011a). Women’s share of employment in the export-processing zones is greater
than women’s share of the labor force as a whole, and the conditions of employment are of
concerns.
■ Tourism- It appears that tourism planning has not included women or has had insufficient
regard for gender issues. Within the tourism industry, relatively few women have the
educational qualifications or foreign language skills to compete for front-of-house
positions in the hotel industry, as tour guides, or in travel agencies, and women are more
likely to be employed as housekeepers, waitresses, or similar low-level positions.
■ Targeted educational programs could provide women with the necessary qualifications to
climb the job ladder, which could progressively help to rectify the imbalance between
work opportunities for men and women and eliminate gender gaps in tourism employment
Business Process Outsourcing
The Philippines' Information Technology—Business Process Outsourcing Road Map 2011—2016 is not
gender-responsive and does not address women's constraints in accessing higher-paid work in non-
voice services or the likely growth in information technology and engineering. These matters, as well
as the pay differentials between men and women and employment conditions, require specific
government attention.
■ Government Services
Public sector employment is an important source of jobs with better pay and conditions for women
than many other industrial sectors, but women are constrained by predominately employed in
traditional, gender- stereotype care sector, government occupation such as health and education,
and they are under-represented in the higher paying subsectors.
The Philippines has strong gender mainstreaming program, which has given women greater access to
government employment generally, but women in the civil sector may still be underpaid given their
levels of education, experience and ability.
Entrepreneurship

■ There has been a rapid surge in the number and proportion of female entrepreneurs in
developing countries (Minniti and Naude 2010, 280). Studies indicate that female-led
MSMEs increase employment opportunities for women and contribute to wider
development goals (ADB and ILO 2013a). One survey indicated that women
entrepreneurs are more likely than an necessity, these are livelihood-oriented
entrepreneurs attempting to escape unemployment.
Salient Policies on Gender Equality in the
Labor Market
■ The Philippines has ratified 34 ILO conventions and is party to all of the fundamental United
Nations human rights covenants and conventions. The country's 1987 Constitution has
enshrined these rights in Section 3, Article XIII (Bill of Rights), and in Section 14, Article Il,
which ensures fundamental equality of women and men before the law.
■
Article 3, Chapter 1 of the Labor Code, as well as Republic Acts 6725, 7192, 7877, and 8551, all
provide for fundamental human rights protection, including antidiscrimination provisions, and
they ensure fundamental equality, prohibition of sexual harassment, and temporary special
measures. The Philippines' Anti-Sexual Harassment Act No. 7877 Of 8 February 1995 is an
example of good legislative practice.
Salient Policies on Gender Equality in the
Labor Market

The Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710) is an overall legislative framework that
articulates the specific rights, needs, and support required by women in their general and
working lives. Although the Magna Carta of Women provides a good legislative framework’
implementation issues remain. Filipino women often do not know about their rights and the
complaints system is confusing even if they do.
■ In 2012, the Philippines became the first country in Asia to ratify the ILO Domestic
Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). In early 2013, President Aquino also signed a
new law’ Republic Act 10361 known as the “Batas Kasambahay” (Domestic Workers
Act) in order to better protect this large group of mostly young, female workers.