Promoting Gender Equality in the Labor Market for More Inclusive Growth National Workshop Findings of Philippine National

Study 10 August 2012 Opening Remarks On behalf of the ADB, the Philippines Country Office and the Regional and Sustainable Development Department I would like to welcome you all here today. This is especially so given the devastation that has marked the last few days in which so many people have become homeless, and so many men, women and children have suffered. That you are here today despite this catastrophe, speaks much of your commitment to the development of the Philippines. I personally thank you for braving the rain, the waters, floods and the disrupted transport services to be here today. The World Development Report 2012 and the Companion publication covering East Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines, states that despite improved labor force participation in our region, significant gender inequalities in economic opportunity remain. Women still earn less than men in nearly all sectors, in all countries in the region. Gender gaps increase with age highlighting the interruptions to work as result of childbirth and childcare. There is still marked gender occupational segregation and studies point to the phenomenon of sticky floors rather than the better known glass ceilings. This means that there are wider wage gaps at the bottom than at the top of the earnings distribution. This is particularly true in the Philippines where we see a significant number of women who have broken the glass ceiling in the upper echelons of government and in the corporate sector, but the lives of millions of poor women remain unchanged in terms of wages, economic opportunities and working conditions. Women are also more likely to work in small firms, to work in the informal sector and to predominate in lower paid occupational sectors. Within small firms women are more likely to be temporary workers with less secure working conditions. In a similar vein women led enterprises tend to be smaller and less secure than male led enterprises. Female led enterprises, especially in the informal sector, have lower profits and are less likely to be registered, despite the fact that they are not inherently less productive. What can we do to overcome these barriers to progress? The project we are discussing today attempts to answer some of these questions. We are here today to share the findings of the research of the regional technical assistance project, Promoting Gender Equality in the Labor Market for More Inclusive Growth, a project which covers the Philippines, Cambodia and Kazakhstan. However, today we are sharing with you the preliminary findings of the Philippines part

of the project. We hope that you will be able to give us the necessary feedback to enhance the quality of the report. This technical assistance seeks to identify potential labor market and social protection reforms that will promote decent and expanded employment opportunities for women, thereby contributing to more inclusive growth. Decent work, as defined by the International Labour Organizations (ILO), involves opportunities for employment that are productive, deliver a fair income, and provide security in the workplace and social protection for workers and their families. The project attempts to : provide a gendered analysis of the Philippines labor market, government policies and legislation; analyze the determinants (and constraints) to the employment of women; identify and explore one - two market sectors in each country which could potentially be expanded or developed to promote opportunities for decent work for women; identify good practice examples; and provide legal and policy recommendations for promoting decent work for women in the labor market in the Philippines. I warmly welcome you and thank you for being here today.

The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.