poor women's daily fare, maternal mortality, debunk WB report on gender equality -Ilagan

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today said the Filipino women’s daily fare of poverty, hunger and increasing maternal deaths due to inaccessibility of healthcare easily debunks the WB report placing the Philippines sixth among 129 countries in gender equality.

“The WB report on gender equality is but a sorry attempt to create an illusion that the Filipino women’s quality of life has improved when it has in fact worsened. Mothers are dying every day,” said Ilagan.

Ilagan notes an increase in the maternal mortality rate from 162 deaths in 2006 to221 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2010. The Gabriela solon also said that surveys showing an increase in the number of hungry Filipinos to 4.8M also translate to an increase in the number of Filipino women and mothers going hungry.

“In the average Filipino household, it is the mothers who work most, eat last and eat least,” said Ilagan.

While employment and unemployment figures appear to be promising for women, these disregard the fact that most Filipino women do not even figure in the country’ labor force. Women’s labor force participation rate is at 49.6. Of the 7.4 million underemployed in the country, 32.4 percent or 2.4 million are women, while 67.6 percent or 5 million are men. Adult unemployment hit a record high 34.4% equivalent to about 13.8 million individuals in the first quarter of 2012. Of the total number of unemployed 40% are women.