SUGGESTED LIST OF GENDER ISSUES ACROSS SECTORS

ORGANIZATION-FOCUSED GENDER ISSUES

GENDER ISSUES/CONCERNS

 Inadequate support system/services to ease the multiple burden of working mothers

(e.g. day care centers)

 Disproportionate representation in top level position

 Limited opportunities for professional growth of female employees

 Gender-based discrimination from hiring, training, scholarships to promotion

 Need to implement the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and address other forms of
violence against women in the workplace

 Inadequate resources and priority is given to the implementation of capability-building

and advocacy and allocate appropriate resources for its implementation

 Inadequate resources and priority are devoted to the management of the GAD Focal
Point to facilitate the integration of gender concerns in the agency policies, plans,
programs and budget

 Inadequate effort to address the issue of violence against women in the agencies and
the communities

o Need for research on action to combat VAW

o Need to establish a network to facilitate complementarity of action against VAW

o Absence of statistical data and information of incidence on VAW

 Inadequate benefits for community outreach volunteer health workers who are mostly
women

 Low level of women’s participation in the peace negotiations panels

 Discriminatory practices in the field of administration of justice and peace keeping

deprive women of equal opportunities and treatment in terms of job hiring and work
assignments

CLIENT-FOCUSED GENDER ISSUES

A. SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR

1. EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

 Sexism and stereotyping limit women’s areas/fields of participation

 Need to proportionately and accurately reflect women’s contribution in key

disciplines such as science, history, social studies, mathematics and language
  Sex role stereotyping and sexist concepts are still found in the curricula,
textbooks and instructional materials

 Need for key officials/personnel to acquire deeper appreciation of gender

perspectives to ensure that the educational systems, its training plans, policies,
programs and projects are gender responsive

 Absence of an organized and systematic information network at the national

and sub-national levels to mainstream women’s concerns in education and
human resources development

 Gender-tracking of profession due to lack of appropriate gender sensitive

counselling for students to widen their career choices

 Harassment and other forms of violence against women in educational

institutions and in training institutions

 Mismatch of labor skills with available labor demand partly due to inappropriate
and inadequate education. This leads to migration of people, especially of
women, from the rural to the urban areas and overseas

2. HEALTH, NUTRITION AND FAMILY PLANNING

 Need to continuously address the leading causes of death among women of

reproductive ages (e.g. heart disease, tuberculosis, breast cancer and
pregnancy-related deaths)

 Poor nutritional levels among women particularly pregnant and lactating

women

 Inadequate access of women to medical attendance during childbirth

 Inadequate medical attention is given to women with reproductive health-

related infections

 Poor functional health and nutrition literacy

 Low awareness among women of environment/occupational health and safety

hazards

 Inadequate programs and services for special groups of women such as

victims of violence, members of tribal communities and with disabilities

 Inadequate investment in information education to counter the socio-cultural

values and practices which have great influence on women’s health

 Inadequate health care delivery system in remote areas for women

 Low practice of family planning despite high awareness of people

 Need to intensify information campaign on family planning methods to both

men and women

 Inadequate laws and policies that promote women’s health at all stages of
their lives from infancy to old age
  Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, local
government executives and program managers, health professionals on
women’s health needs and concerns

 Non-implementation of the Magna Carta for Public Health workers in some

devolved localities

 Need to strengthen the GAD focal point at the national level and to set up focal
points at the sub-national level to facilitate integration of gender concerns in the
sector

 Need to integrate gender concerns in government policies, plans and major

programs in health-related government agencies

3. URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING

 Need to integrate gender concerns in government policies, plans and major

programs in the housing and urban sector

 Need to implement provisions of the HABITAT Conference on gender and

development

 Inadequate information dissemination on the accessibility of housing units to

women – Women still transact business with the Shelter agencies through a
Special Power of Attorney from their husbands despite the existence of laws
that allow either spouse to apply

 Need to revise legal forms/documents to reflect policy developments on

housing transactions favoring women

 Need to simplify housing system and procedure to facilitate women clientele’s

access to housing

 Need to match affordability levels with women’s desired housing design, site
development plan

 Need to integrate gender concerns in Town/Settlement Planning

4. SOCIAL WELFARE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

 Limited gender consciousness in the formal education of social

welfare/community development workers

 Need to intensify efforts of welfare institutions in sustaining and empowering

women’s organizations

 Inadequate implementation of and information dissemination on enacted

welfare policies

 Need to establish a more effective monitoring system on impact on women of

PAPs in the social sector

 Need to review the Day Care Program as to its effectiveness and assess
implementation concerns

 Low level of consciousness on gender issues among day care workers

 Inadequate response to the issues of migrant women (local and international)
in government systems

o Absence of inadequacy of sex-disaggregated data on various aspects of

migration

o Inadequate gender-responsive planning skills and low level of gender

consciousness among key officials of agencies directly and indirectly
concerned with women migrant workers

o Need to strengthen complementarity of inter-agency programs for women

migrant workers

 Inadequate preparation of women for interracial marriages and support

services/ system to respond to their needs

 Inadequate measures to provide security for women overseas, especially

those within interracial marriages

 Need to intensify the enforcement of the law against mail-order bride

 Rampant trafficking of women

 Limited support services/system to protect and cater to the needs of exploited

local and international migrant workers and women in interracial marriages

o Inadequate protective mechanisms in both domestic and international

spheres including the lack of bilateral labor agreements between the
Philippine government and governments of host countries to curb
abusive working conditions

o Inadequate monitoring of compliance with contract terms and conditions,

contract substitutions, and delay or non-payment of salaries particularly
on domestic work and entertainment services

o Inadequate on-site services/assistance to overseas workers

o Limited attention to the women migrant workers’ health needs (e.g. socio-
psychological impact of temporary separation)

o Limited services for workers in the entertainment industry particularly

responding to reproductive health needs and the associated psychic and
emotional trauma as caused by abuse

o Limited services for the returning migrant workers to rejoin the economic,
social and cultural mainstream

 Inadequate support services for women who are victims of violence and abuse

o Need for current strategies to emphasize preventions and elimination of

VAW

o Need for family counselling programs to consider alternative means/(non

–violent) forms of setting conflicts

 Continues marginalization and exploitation of prostituted women

 o Existence of laws that promote, legitimize and regulate prostitution

o Need to amend existing laws that criminalize the prostituted women

o Vulnerability of women to stigmatization through media sensationalism

and to sexual harassment of police officers

o Continued objectification, exploitation and abuse of female bodies

 Inadequate support services/ programs to protect and rehabilitate prostituted

women

o Lack of direct access to health care and protection

o Inadequate information and access to contraceptive devices

o Inadequate effective mechanism to protect Filipina entertainers from

international prostitution syndicates

o Inadequate livelihood, credit, educational and other support services for

prostituted persons who opt to leave the “sex industry”

 Need for special support for single-parent families particularly women-headed

households to ensure their own and their children’s well being

 Need to integrate gender perspective in pre-marriage counselling programs

 Need to develop a comprehensive program facilities for the prevention of VAW

incidences, reintegration of victims in the community, rehabilitation of offenders
and elimination of the following various forms of VAW:

o Domestic violence

o Rape

o Sexual harassment

o Pornography and violence in media

o Trafficking in Women/prostitution

o Military rape and sexual abuse

o Spiritual, religious and ritual abuse

o Violation or reproductive rights

5. MEDIA

 Women are portrayed in a very limited, sexist and stereotyped roles

 Rampant portrayal of violence and other forms of abuse against women

 Feminization of the industry due to the increasing salary gap between women
and men in media
  Lack of gender perspective and deeper appreciation of women’s issues in
mainstream media

 Need to organize media users (i.e. viewers, readers, listeners) to pressure

media into presenting productive alternatives/gender sensitive
materials/programs

 Absence of a lead government agency for women and media

 Lack of gender responsive data base system to assess the extent of

participation of women in media and the impact of media on women

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and public

officials on women’s needs and concerns

 Need to integrate gender concerns in government policies, plans and major

programs relating to/affecting media

6. ARTS AND CULTURES

 Portrayal of stereotyped images and roles of women as sex objects, as

passive, fragile and domesticated

 Rampant pornography which is passed on as art

 Women’s work is priced as lower and judged from sexist standards

 Lack of funding and other support for women in traditional/folk arts and crafts

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and public

officials on women’s needs and concerns

7. LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

a. Issues affecting the Private Sector

a.1 Formal Sector

 Unemployment and underemployment

 Inadequate training on non-traditional skills for women

 Need to fully and effectively implement the Anti-sexual harassment

Act and address other forms of violence against women in the
workplace

 Gender-based discrimination from hiring to promotion

 Marginal membership and participation of women in trade unions

 Need to improve working conditions of women particularly protecting

the pregnant and nursing women from hazardous work

 Multiple burden/role

 Limited economic employment opportunities in rural areas for women

  Presence of an abusive and exploitative work conditions in work
stations of women migrant workers

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and

public officials on women’s needs and concerns

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies,

plans and major programs

a.2 Informal Sector

 Need to provide services to women in informal sector in relation to

access to credit, resources and skills enhancement

 Difficulty in organizing women in the sector

 Poor working/living conditions of women home-based workers (e.g.

lack of protection, long working hours)

 Inadequate protective laws, social protection (e.g. absence of

employee-employer relationship, enjoyment or limited benefits)

 Limited data on informal sector to be able to assess the nature and

magnitude of concerns of the women in the sector

b. Issues affecting the Public Sector

 Gender-based discrimination from hiring to promotion

 Need to fully and effectively implement the Sexual Harassment Act

 Multiple burden/roles of women

 Low level of women participation in decision-making positions (i.e.

third-level positions)

 Need to strengthen collaboration of public sector with other GOs and

NGOs to advance the cause of women

B. SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR

1. AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES

 Women have limited access to agricultural support services

 Lack of gainful employment opportunities or alternative sources of income for

rural women especially those in upland or fishing communities

 Inadequate data to support gender sensitive planning and programming to

assess the impact of agricultural programs on women

 Women’s concerns are not explicitly stated in most agricultural development

programs or implementing guidelines

 Limited recognition of women’s contribution to agricultural development

  Women farmers heave limited participation in decision-making processes and
structures

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies, plans and

major programs

2. AGRARIAN REFORM

 Need to review agrarian reform policies to ensure women’s equal access to

and control of CARP resources and benefits

 Need to enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes on gender concerns among

CARP implementors to enhance ARC development

 Need to institutionalize a gender responsive planning, monitoring and

evaluation in CARP

 Need to enhance the political will of top management at the national, regional
and provincial levels in carrying out GAD objectives and integrating gender
concerns in its operations

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and public

officials on women’s needs and concerns in the sector

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies, plans and

major programs

 Need to strengthen linkages and networking between GOs and NGOs and
people’s organizations in addressing gender concerns in the sector

 Need to enhance women’s role as CARP agents by improving their

representation in decision-making positions and affording them equal access
to promotion, scholarship and training opportunities

3. ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

 Poor living conditions of women and their families and upland/forest/mining

coastal communities

 Need to fully recognize the role of women and in indigenous cultural

communities in the maintenance of a balanced ecosystem

 Lack of studies on impacts of environment problems on women

 Need to integrate gender concerns in ENR policies, plans and major programs

 Need to enhance the level of awareness on gender concerns among ENR

development agencies and beneficiaries

 Need to encourage the participation of women in ENR development

management

 Unavailability of gender specific data on women’s actual involvement in

development activities in the sector
  Lack of sex-disaggregated data on the extent of indigenous women’s access
to government programs and the effects on them of such development
interventions

 Lack of active partnership among government agencies, NGOs and Pos in the
delivery of basic services and advocacy work for the promotion of women’s
rights and welfare

 Lack of concern about the negative effects on indigenous women of their

inability to gain control over and access to their ancestral lands

 Need for consciousness raising and training for advocacy on indigenous

cultural communities/women’s concerns for program planners and
beneficiaries

 Negative impact on women of environmental degradation

4. INDUSTRY, TRADE AND TOURISM

4.1 Industry and Trade

 Need to review macro-economic trade policies and its impact on women

 Lack of comprehensive, sex-disaggregated data on the extent of

women’s participation in the sector particularly data on productivity across
occupations and industry groupings to revel areas of assistance to women

 Lack of recognition of women’s role in countryside development

 Prevalent exploitation of women workers brought about by the influx of

foreign investments and export-oriented industries

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and

public officials on women’s needs and concerns

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies, plans

and major programs

 Need to review fair trade laws for gender responsiveness and to

safeguard consumer rights in areas where women are generally affected

4.2 Tourism

 Need to examine the effect of tourism programs (i.e. domestic and

international market) on the type of employment offered to employees

 Need to examine and address the proliferation of sex tourism

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and

public officials on women’s needs and concerns in the sector

 Need to integrate gender concerns in government policies, plans and

major programs

 Use of images of women in promotional materials to market tourism/

travel packages
  Need to offer diverse skills training and alternative employment to women
who are vulnerable to the negative effects of tourism

4.3 Infrastructure Development

 Need to emphasize and ensure the convenience/safety of women and

travelling parents in the provision and management of transport facilities

 Need to train and optimize women’s skills on the proper use and
maintenance of infrastructure facilities for water, energy, flood control,
drainage, etc.

 Lack of sex disaggregated data on the extent of participation of women

in the sector and women beneficiaries in infrastructure development

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators and

public officials on women’s needs and concerns in the sector

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies, plans

and major programs

5. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 Gender tracking in Science and Technology

 Need to address women/girls’ limited access to higher S&T education/training

primarily because of prohibitive fees and educational cost

 Threat of women being eased out/marginalized from the economy/productive

work due to mechanization or introduction of higher level technology

 Inadequate support for women workers in S&T and Research and

Development

 Low level of awareness among S&T agencies and NGOs on the needs of
women in the sector

 Inadequate R&D on appropriate technology on women

 Lack of systematic inventory, information, evaluation and popularization of

appropriate technology for women

 Lack of gender differentiated database system particularly on the extent of

women’s participation in all fields of S&T and the identification of women needs
in the sector

 Lack of institutional mechanism to measure the impact of S&T on women

 Lack of inputs on women technological needs in S&T planning at the national

level

 Need to integrate gender concerns in relevant government policies, plans and

major programs

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and public

officials on women’s needs and concerns
 C. DEFENCSE

 Need to integrate gender perspective in the peace agenda and processes

 Need to instill gender sensitivity among negotiators

 Lack of gender responsive peace keeping and peace-building programs

 Lack of sex-disaggregated data to enable government to assess the impact of conflicts

on mothers and daughters wives and widows

 Lack of economic reforms for women affected by armed conflict

 Need to establish gender-responsive peace education

 Vulnerability of women and children in armed conflict and violent confrontations

o Physical harm and human rights violations

o Psychological stress and trauma

o Poor health conditions due to unavailability of public health personnel

o Collapse of socio-cultural structures like family and marriage due to physical

separation of spouses or death of a spouse due to armed conflict

o Economic dislocation and increased prostitution

o Prevalence of a militarist culture of violence due to the presence of armed

groups in communities

D. GENERAL PUBLIC SERVICES

1. DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION SECTOR

 Weak integration of gender concerns into the national and sub-national

planning processes

 Lack of definite funding source for WID/GAD advocacy, planning, monitoring

and evaluation

 Lack of advocacy on the GAD approach in planning, budgeting,

implementation, monitoring and evaluation

 Weak structures and mechanisms for effective implementation of WID/GAD

policies and programs

2. POLCITICS AND GOVERNANCE

 Low level of participation of women in decision-making positions in

government

 Discrimination in promotion because of misconceptions about women’s

preference for family over job (e.g. work disruption due to maternity leave)
  Low number of women occupying national/local elective positions

 Confinement of local women officials to traditional positions and tasks

 Lack of gender specific data particularly the extent of involvement of women

in political activities at the local or barangay level or their participation in the
first, second and third levels of the bureaucracy

 Need to encourage women voters to support candidates with clear political

agenda for gender and development

 Difficulty of cause-oriented women who may not belong to the “economic elite”
to fight and run for office

 Limited opportunity to occupy high level decision-making positions because of

the misconceptions that the world of politics and bureaucracy is basically for
men only

3. JUSTICE AND PEACE AND ORDER

 Low level of women’s participation in the judiciary, national prosecution

service, parole and probation, investigating bodies, police departments,
penitentiaries and barangay office

 Multiple burden of women prevent them from taking advantage of career-

development

 Need to implement the Anti-sexual harassment Act and address other forms
of violence against women in the workplace

 Lack of gender-specific data to show the extent and magnitude of the problem
on criminality involving women victims

 Low level of gender consciousness of policy makers, legislators, and public

officials on women’s needs and concerns

 Need to integrate gender concerns in government policies, plans and major

programs

 Lack of collaboration among the executive, judiciary and legislative branches

of government towards a comprehensive integration of programs to prevent
crimes against women

 Lengthy and humiliating investigation process, insensitive law enforces and

judiciary

 Lack of support system to alleviate the social and psychological effects of

crimes against women

 Violations of human rights (e.g. women offenders are forced to give statements
without the benefit of counsel, physical harassment)

SOURCE: PHILIPPINE COMMISSION ON WOMEN (FORMERLY NCRFW)