Women in the Philippines participate much less than men in the labour force. When they do find paid (productive) work, these jobs are often not considered “decent”, i.e. full-time and at least the minimum wage. A team of local PEP researchers identified the obstacles that are preventing Filipino women from accessing decent work. Traditional gender roles and norms make household work and childcare the woman’s responsibility, taking time away from paid employment. Furthermore, external childcare services are unable to accommodate the number of children needing places. Additionally, legal measures intended to protect women are insufficiently implemented, and women are less likely to be able to use ICT for productive purposes. Investing to expand childcare services, promoting co-parenting, ensuring gender-responsive policies and compliance, and boosting girls’ and women’s participation in ICT trainings can increase decent employment options for women.
Find out more about the research methods, findings and policy recommendations in the following PEP publications:
Working Paper 2024-02 | Policy Brief 277 | More about the Addressing Barriers to Decent Work for Women initiative
