The Philippines maintains its position as the leading Asian country in closing the gender gap, according to the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) Report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The Philippines has reached 79.1-percent gender parity, and is now ranked 16th out of 146 countries in the world in improving the political equality sub-index in the East Asia and Pacific region, along with New Zealand and Australia.
Moreover, it is the only Asian nation in the top 20, with Singapore following in 49th place.
According to the released statement by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), it informed all government agencies, non-government and civil society groups, academe, and numerous stakeholders about this development.
"We welcome this remarkable achievement and extend our appreciation to all those who have relentlessly worked towards ensuring equal access to opportunities and resources for every Filipino, regardless of their sex or gender identity," PCW Executive Director, Attorney. Kristine Rosary Yuzon-Chaves said.
While the increased representation of women in the cabinet is a positive development, the disparity in the proportion of female lawmakers is a significant cause for concern.
The study also shows that the Philippines dropped from 16th to 17th place on the economic participation and chance subindex, with a score of 0.789 instead of the previous score of 0.794.
Despite ranking among the top three countries in the East Asia and Pacific region with the highest parity in this sub-index by maintaining full equality in senior officers and technical employees, the WEF found that women earn only 71.6 percent compared to men's income.
"It also expresses its hopes that this ranking will later translate into the passing of more policies that will effectively uphold the human rights of all individuals, particularly those of women and girls," it added.
The PCW suggested that the Philippines can close this gap and advance political gender equality by encouraging and empowering women to lead.
This growing gap between the number of men and women in government indicates that the organization will remain steadfast in its commitment to strengthening other policies that promote equal rights and opportunities for all.
The GGGI report aims to provide a reliable yearly measure for measuring growth over time. Using the method in place in 2006, the score and research focus on comparing how equal women and men are in different countries and regions.
Source: Manila Bulletin