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Philippines
Flag of Philippines
Population (in Mil.)	99.9
Sex Ratio (m/f)	1,00
Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m)	1.06
Fertility Rate	3.11
Income Ratio (f/m)	0.58
Literacy Ratio (f/m)	1,00
Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m)	1,28
Women in Parliament (in %)	15,7
SIGI Rank	7
More information on variables
Did you know that Philippines ranks number 7 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Philippines" at genderindex.org:

Social Institutions

It was in 1987 that the government introduced a Constitution that affirms women’s equality with men. Still, there are significant gender imbalances in practice and customary laws that discriminate against women prevail, at least in rural areas, where education and employment opportunities differ between men and women. In the cities, government agencies are slowly recognising women’s capacity to act, especially in concluding contracts, land ownership and property relations. There are over 100 linguistic, cultural and ethnic groups in the Philippines. The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism, the reported religion of more than 80 percent of the population. Protestants and Muslims make up 5 percent each.

Family Code

The 1997 Family Code removed several discriminatory provisions under the Civil Code. Among other things, it equalized the age requirements for men and women to contract marriage at the age of 18. Women’s age at first marriage increases with the level of education and urban women generally marry at a later age than rural women. An estimated 10 percent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed (UN, 2004). Filipino law does not provide for divorce, although courts generally recognize the legality of divorces obtained in other countries if one of the parties is a foreign national. It can be noted also that arranged marriages are not part of Filipino life, but that interfaith marriages are uncommon (www.everyculture.com). Polygamy is illegal for non-Muslim citizens. Men and women were granted equal parental authority in 1987 and they are jointly responsible for the upbringing of their children. The Family Code provides that in child custody cases resulting from annulment, illegitimacy, or divorce in another country, children under the age of seven are placed with the mother unless there is a court order to the contrary. Children over the age of seven normally also remain with the mother, although the father can dispute custody through the courts (U.S. Department of State, 2007). There is no legal discrimination between men and women in the area of inheritance.

Physical Integrity

Female genital mutilation is not a general practice in the Philippines, but reportedly exists among some Muslim groups. Violence against women does occur but legal protection is more readily available since the adoption of the Anti-Violence against Women Act in 2004. The Act criminalizes physical, sexual, and psychological harm or abuse to women and their children committed by their spouses or partners. Incidents are nevertheless believed to be underreported. A 2003 survey by the NGO Social Weather Station found that 12 percent of men admitted to having physically harmed women. Women in the same survey cited the following reasons for not reporting violence: embarrassment, not knowing how or to whom to report, belief that the violence was unimportant, and belief that nothing would be done (U.S. Department of State, 2007). Klasen et al (2003) indicate that there might be some occurrence of missing women.

Civil Liberties

There are no legal restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, although their mobility outside the home is constrained in some Muslim groups. Similarly, there are no legal restrictions on women’s freedom of dress, but Muslim women might veil themselves or cover their hair.

Ownership Rights

There are no longer any legal variations in men and women’s access to land and property, but in practice men are still perceived as the primary property owners. The Agrarian Reform Department was responsible for giving housewives equal rights to own land in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Family Code and the Civil Code on property relations, involving legally married and common-law spouses. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law states that all qualified women members of the agricultural labor force must be guaranteed and assured equal rights to ownership of land, equal share of farm’s produce and representation in advisory or appropriate decision making bodies who are agrarian reform beneficiaries. The Environment and Natural Resources Department, in turn, amended its regulations on alienable and disposable public lands in 2002, thereby granting women - regardless of civil status - equal rights as men to apply for the purchases or lease of public lands (CEDAW, 2004). Men’s greater share of property ownership enables them to provide collateral for larger loans, whereas women’s access to credit is limited to smaller loans. Moreover, although women are allowed by law to enter into contract without their spouse’s signed agreement, many financial institutions continue to require the male partner to co-sign any financial contracts. Customary laws, primarily prevalent in rural areas, also make it difficult for women to act independently in this respect. In 1995, the government was mandated by congress to assist Filipino women in their pursuit of owning, operating and managing small business enterprises. Subsequently, any woman who is certified to have received appropriate training by any government or government-accredited training institution is eligible to get loans from government financing institutions (CEDAW, 2004).

Sources

Asian Development Bank (2004), Country Gender Assessment: Philippines, Southeast Asia Department.
CEDAW (2004), Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of States parties, Philippines, CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6.
Countries and their cultures, Culture of the Philippines, www.everyculture.com, accessed 14 February, 2008.
Klasen, K. and C. Wink (2003), “Missing Women”: Revisiting the Debate, Feminist Economics 1/2003, Volume 9, Issue 2-3.
OECD (2006), The Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base, www.oecd.org/dev/gender/gid.
United Nations (2004), Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Fertility Report, New York.
U.S. Department of State (2007), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2006: Philippines.

The Women, Business and the Law

Where are laws equal for men and women?

The Women, Business and the Law report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. This report does not seek to judge or rank countries, but to provide information to inform discussions about women’s economic rights. Covering 128 economies, Women, Business and the Law provides data covering 6 areas: accessing institutions,using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.Read more about the methodology.

For detailed information on Philippines, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Philippines page.