Gender Equality in the Philippines

Gender equality in the Philippines… what’s the real score?

by Jose Ramon G. Albert, Ph.D

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This March, the nation celebrates the 2013 Women’s Month with the theme “Kababaihan: Gabay sa Pagtahak sa Tuwid na Daan.” The month long celebration is spearheaded by the Philippine Commission on Women. Every March, we highlight the role of Filipino women in the social, cultural, economic, and political development in the country. This year’s theme underscores the leadership role and participation in governance of women. Strengthening the mechanisms and institutions that support women and that widen the arena for their participation is aligned with Section 11 (Participation and Representation) and Section 29 (Peace and Development) of the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710)2. Although I am not a woman, but I have been a strong advocate of gender equality, because my work examining poverty and income distribution over the past several years has led me to realize that for development to be sustainable, growth must be inclusive, and for this to happen, it is important that equal opportunities for education, health, and labor be given to everyone, regardless of sex, religion, and income class. Whether woman or man, rich or poor, urban folk or rural folk, everyone must contribute to and benefit from the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental development of the country. Poverty reduction, which has been the overarching goal in development, is intertwined with addressing gender inequalities. Understanding where, why and how gender inequality arises is a vital pathway toward inclusive growth and development. One of the concrete gender policies adopted by government is the legislation of the Reproductive Health Law, which is meant to help women (particularly poor women). Ironically, its implementation has been temporarily halted by the Supreme Court during Women's Month. To help in the formulation of relevant plans and programs aimed at gender equality, we have...