Female workforce seen held down by expectations of childcare, housework

The Philippines is grappling with weak female labor force participation even though it has some of the best gender gap ratings in the region by traditional metrics, advocates for women in the workplace said.

At a conference this week, participants singled out the persistence of social norms like childcare roles as well as what they called structural workplace biases.

Julia Andrea R. Abad, executive director of the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment, said societal expectations remain the primary hurdle, as both men and women continue to view men as the primary providers.

“In a stage of a family, whether it’s caring for a child or household duties, it will be the woman who drops out because it’s the man who’s seen as the primary (breadwinner),” she said at a panel discussion in Mandaluyong this week.

She added that even when women reach executive levels, estimated at nearly 40% of leadership teams in publicly listed firms, they are often confined to secondary roles rather than operational positions with the high visibility required for top-tier promotions.

Anna Leah Colina, project officer and women coordinator for the Federation of Free Workers, said that culture that favors men remains deeply rooted despite technological advancements.

She noted that 17 million women aged 15 and above remain outside the labor force, largely due to invisible labor or unpaid care work.

“We are still perceived as secondary to men economically, politically, and socially,” Ms. Colina said, adding that even when women seek work, they often are relegated to vulnerable informal jobs.

Anita E. Baleda, deputy executive director for operations at the Philippine Commission on Women, said that as of 2024, women spend an average of 3.2 hours a day on unpaid care and domestic work, compared to just 1.7 hours for men.

“If we’re talking evidence-based, we know for a fact, that women do twice as much, spend twice as much time as men in doing unpaid care and domestic work,” she said.

Reducing this burden, she said, requires investment in care-support infrastructure such as facilities and labor-saving household technology.

Merriam Leilani M. Reynoso, director of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns at the Department of Labor and Employment, noted a 99.9% compliance rate among monitored establishments for laws protecting women workers, including maternity and solo-parent leave benefits.

Panelists urged employers to complement regulatory enforcement with proactive workplace reforms, including bias-resistant hiring practices, transparent promotion pathways, and intentional inclusion of non-traditional candidates in leadership pipelines.

These discussions accompanied the launch of the “Juana Trabaho Framework,” an initiative of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development in partnership with the Australian government. The program aims to achieve the female-related goals of the Trabaho Para Sa Bayan Plan 2025–2034, which targets a female labor force participation rate of 59% by 2034, up from 53.7% in 2025.

“This reality underscores why increasing women’s labor force participation is a clear priority of the Philippine government,” Economy Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said. “Achieving this requires not only creating quality, secure, and accessible jobs for women but also ensuring that these jobs align with emerging industry demands brought about by a modernizing economy.”

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown added that the collaboration focuses on policy reforms that support gender-inclusive workplaces and a care economy to drive sustainable economic growth in the region.

Source: Business World

Women, Business, and the Law report finds PHL improvements

The Philippines improved in two of the three pillars in the World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law (WBL) 2026 report, with scores surpassing the global and East Asia and Pacific averages.

The report, released on Tuesday, measures how laws, policies, and practices shape women’s economic opportunities. It studied 190 economies’ performance in three indices: legal frameworks, supportive frameworks, and enforcement perceptions.

In the 2025 report, the Philippines scored 72.53 in legal frameworks, 77.43 in supportive frameworks, and 53.97 in enforcement perceptions.

Compared to 2024, the Philippines scored higher in both legal frameworks and supportive frameworks, from 70 and 54.2 points, respectively. Its score fell in enforcement perceptions from 58.8 two years ago.

“In the Philippines, the legal frameworks score is 73, the supportive frameworks score is 77, and the enforcement perceptions score is 54, showing that gaps still persist between law and practice,” the World Bank said.

Nevertheless, the Philippines’ performance outperformed global and the East Asia and Pacific averages across all pillars and topics, except for mobility, marriage, and childcare.

The report covered 10 topics — safety, mobility, work, pay, marriage, parenthood, childcare, entrepreneurship, assets, and pension.

“On paper, most countries are doing reasonably well: the average country scores 67 out of 100 on the adequacy of laws to enable economic equality between women and men,” said Indermit Gill, World Bank chief economist and senior vice-president for development economics.

“But when it comes to enforcing the laws, the average score drops to 53. And when the systems needed to implement those rights are assessed, the adequacy score is just 47,” he added.

He said lower averages in law enforcement and implementation “reflect huge opportunity gaps.”

On the WBL 1.0 index, the Philippines scored 81.9 in 2026, higher than 78.8 in 2024. It measures 35 data points across 8 indicators.

This score is middle-of-the-road in Southeast Asia, exceeded by Vietnam (88.1), Timor Leste (86.3), Cambodia (84.4), Singapore (82.5), and Laos (82.5) but better than Thailand (78.1), Indonesia (70.6), Myanmar (61.9), Malaysia (60.06), and Brunei (53.1).

The report also found that the Philippines was the only economy to have enacted reform toward legal gender equality on the topic of mobility, via the Philippine Passport Act.

“The Philippine Passport Act allows married women to choose whether to adopt their husband’s surname, removing the blanket requirement for all married women to present a marriage certificate,” the World Bank said.

In total, the report tallied 68 economies that have implemented reforms toward legal gender equality from 2023 to 2025.

“Over the past two years, 68 economies enacted 113 positive legal reforms across most areas of women’s economic life, with the greatest progress in entrepreneurship and safety from violence,” the World Bank said.

“Seven countries also expanded paternity leave to help redistribute caregiving and support women’s employment,” it added.

Women, Business, and the Law assesses the global state of women’s economic participation across 10 key areas, including safety from violence, access to childcare, entrepreneurship, employment protections, asset ownership, and retirement security.

Norman Loayza, director of the World Bank Policy Indicators Group, said the report identifies safety from violence as a key shortcoming, as it makes women less able to work consistently.

“True equality begins with safety. Whether at home, at work, or in public, women deserve protection to thrive,” he said.

“Globally, we’re falling short. We have only a third of the safety laws we need, and even then, enforcement is failing 80% of the time,” he added

Women, Business and the Law 2026.pdf

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Source: Business World

Why trust is the new currency in the Philippines

Across Manila, Jakarta and Kathmandu, one force is reshaping markets: public outrage, not just at corrupt politicians, but also at ‘nepo baby’ influencers, entrenched institutions and once-untouchable brands.

In today’s hyperconnected world, trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Lose it, and you lose customers.

Scandals involving misused funds, political favoritism and influencer complicity aren’t just headlines; they’re changing how Filipinos and Southeast Asians choose who and what to support.

Trust is no longer a marketing value.

In the Philippines, it has become the operating currency of business.

Consumers are discerning, watching your values, partners, how you treat employees and how you respond in crises.

In a culture where bayanihan (community support), pakikisama (social harmony) and utang na loob (debt of gratitude) run deep, brands that break these social codes don’t just lose market share, they may never recover.

But building trust is more complex than a checklist of values. 

It demands a shift in power dynamics, long-term commitment beyond headlines and ethical courage rooted in culture, not hidden behind it.

Political: Silence is complicity

Political volatility is the new normal. Billions in flood control funds were misused, stirring public fury.

Celebrities tied to political clans caught in scandals are reputation risks brands cannot ignore. Damage isn’t always visible, but savvy companies know these links quietly erode trust.

Brands must ask: Who do we give power to? Partnerships and public stances now shape your brand’s trustworthiness. Silence in moments of injustice is complicity, an active decision to lose trust.

It’s not enough to avoid controversy. Brands must actively choose where to stand and understand that inaction speaks as loudly as action.

In a country where political and social networks are tightly woven, failing to address uncomfortable truths risks long-term damage to brand credibility.

Economic: Resilience meets impatience

Domestic demand and infrastructure investments remain strong, but cracks are showing.

Power outages, flooding, inconsistent internet and poor roads disrupt businesses and frustrate consumers. Customers want brands to own up fast when things go wrong. Silence kills trust.

Apologies after the fact won’t cut it anymore. Crisis sensitivity and operational empathy are competitive edges. But beyond reaction, brands must build trust into the operating system, ensuring resilience is baked into every process.

Consider how local communities often bear the brunt of infrastructure failures and climate risks.

Brands that invest in community resilience programs or collaborate with local governments are not only doing good, they’re signaling shared responsibility, which builds deep trust.

Social: Gen Z calls the shots

The median Filipino is 26 years old.

This Gen Z cohort, raised amid political drama, climate disasters and social activism, demands honesty, representation and real impact.

They seek accountability, consistency and courage.

Yet, in an age of outrage and fleeting attention, brands must build trust that lasts longer than headlines. Outrage is loud but temporary; long-term trust requires institutionalized integrity, not just reactive messaging.

This means embedding accountability into governance, investing in transparent communication channels and authentically engaging with communities, not just during crises, but daily.

Technological: Build trust, not tricks

Artificial intelligence, automation, and personalization grow, but so does digital distrust. Fake reviews, deepfakes, and misinformation make consumers skeptical by default.

Use technology to enhance real experiences, not just cut costs. Invest in privacy, ethical data use and digital inclusion. Transparency around AI and clear privacy policies build trust faster than flashy tech.

Philippine brands must avoid the temptation to use technology as a gimmick. Instead, technology should be a tool for inclusion and empowerment, especially in underserved areas where digital trust is fragile.

Legal: Compliance is just the baseline

New rules on digital taxation and data protection pile up. Following the law is expected, but not enough.

Trust grows in grey areas, where brands choose openness, care and accountability over technicality. Brands must move beyond compliance toward genuine empathy and proactive transparency.

For example, brands that openly share how they safeguard customer data or involve consumers in feedback loops build far stronger trust than those that only meet minimum legal standards.

Environmental: Walk the talk

The Philippines faces climate disasters head-on. Vague sustainability programs won’t cut it.

Consumers want measurable action: renewable energy, clean water, disaster preparedness. Environmental trust isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s survival.

Brands that lead on environment aren’t just ticking boxes, they’re demonstrating shared risk and shared responsibility.

Because climate change hits the Philippines hard and often, brands that overlook their environmental responsibility risk losing the trust and support they need to stay in business.

Cultural: The heartbeat of trust

Various forces filter through deeply ingrained cultural lenses.

Pakikisama demands social harmony but can silence conflict. Utang na loob builds loyalty but can blur professional lines. Hiya fosters respect but can delay urgent transparency.

Cultural literacy requires brands to navigate these values with courage, not hide behind them. Ethical leadership rooted in local culture is key to unlocking emotional loyalty.

In a society where relationships matter more than contracts, brands must embody cultural values authentically while challenging the norms that allow opacity or excuses.

The Trust Economy: Principles that power the flywheel

The trust economy is a market where people buy based on trust, not just need. Value shifts from reach and price to reputation, accountability and cultural fit.

Here are seven core principles, interconnected like a flywheel, each fueling the next:

Humility–Invitational Mindset: Genuine openness to learn and grow, without getting defensive when challenged. But it’s not just about listening politely or saying “we’re humble.”

It goes deeper: it means actually sharing power and influence with the communities or people you serve, inviting their voices into decisions and respecting their role.

Cultural Literacy–Respectful Connection: Deep understanding of audience context, values, and language. But also the courage to challenge cultural norms that may hinder transparency or accountability.

Empathy–Emotional Alignment: Responding to real needs with compassion, not assumptions. Requires continuous effort and presence, not one-off gestures.

Transparency–Meaningful Honesty: Open communication that reduces fear, confusion and speculation. It must be consistent and proactive, not reactive PR.

Authenticity–Grounded Identity: Consistency across time and touchpoints. Brands must resist becoming mere messaging machines and instead embody true values daily.

Consistency–Reliability Over Time: Actions must repeatedly match words. Trust is built in the invisible, everyday moments, not just big announcements.

Accountability–Worth Believing: Owning mistakes, upholding integrity and being investable long term. Trust requires brands to be vulnerable and willing to change.

These principles work as an interdependent flywheel, each one powers the next, creating self-sustaining momentum. Humility is not just the start, it’s the ongoing fuel.

Trust is not a strategy. It is the operating system

In the Philippines, where betrayal cuts deep and loyalty lasts decades, trust is not a metric. It is how you run your business.

Brands that treat trust as a side effect chase recovery. Brands that embed trust as core infrastructure lead. This means building systems and cultures that live these values daily, with measurable accountability.

Because in a trust economy, every signal matters. Every silence is a statement. Every decision a deposit or withdrawal.

The brands that win in the Philippines won’t be the loudest or flashiest. They will be the clearest, most consistent and most human.

Trust is the future, not just a value, but the foundation. The question is: are we ready to build it boldly, deeply and for the long haul?

Source: Inquirer