Most Filipino women think a woman’s place is in the home, survey finds

2026.03.16 10:50 Filipinos take part in a protest in Manila to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. Photo: Reuters The Philippines ranks among Asia’s most gender-equal societies by several international measures. Yet ask Filipino women where they truly belong and most will still tell you: at home. A new survey has found that 83 per cent of Filipino women agree “being a housewife is just as fulfilling as working for pay”, up from 70 per cent when the same question was posed in 1994. The findings, released by independent pollster Social Weather Stations earlier in March to coincide with National Women’s Month, paint a portrait of a society largely at peace with traditional gender roles. This is despite the Philippines topping a World Economic Forum gender equality ranking among Asian nations in 2018 and placing second in a US News & World Report survey in 2024. A protest to commemorate International Women’s Day is held in Manila, the Philippines, on March 8. Photo: Reuters Some 77 per cent of men and 73 per cent of women told Social Weather Stations they “extremely” agreed that a man’s job was to earn money while a woman’s was to look after the home and family. Three-quarters of women surveyed said a job was fine, but what women really wanted was a home and children – a figure unchanged since 1994. “I’m not surprised,” said Dr Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, emeritus professor of women’s studies at the University of the Philippines. She pointed to labour force participation figures to explain why: women’s participation stood at 53.5 per cent last year, compared to 75.8 per cent for men, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Claudio said she had reservations about how the survey questions were framed, however. By casting gender roles in opposition – a man’s responsibilities set against a woman’s – she said respondents were nudged towards traditional answers before they had a chance to think otherwise. People raise clenched fists and shout slogans as th

原文链接: 南华早报