On Women and Poverty in the Philippines - Essay Example

On Women and Poverty in the Philippines: A Critical Review Submitted by: Here Your Here Here With worldwide poverty on the rise, numerous attempts have been made to identify the precise of role of women within this context. While it is well- known that poverty embroils women within so many negative pretexts, the fact of the matter is that in developing countries the level of discrimination is even all the more amplified. Women are simply not granted equal opportunity, and are relegated to questionable and even dehumanizing forms of employment. Women migrant workers are also forced to subject themselves to high-risk jobs overseas , and these are done out of necessity as the wages in their home country are insufficient to support their families. Bear in mind that in a lot of these cases the women are primary income earners, and in their quest for high-paying jobs they often rolling the dice with a heavy heart. A lot of the income earned by these women fuel the economies of their home countries to the tune of millions of dollars annually. The question is, have the effects of poverty effectively dehumanized the women living in developing countries? Let us take a closer look at the situation of women in the Philippines, one of the world’s leading providers of woman migrant workers because of the seething poverty that is prevalent in the country. (United Nations Development Fund for Women, 2008) Women in the Philippines are considered the backbone of its society, being a Roman Catholic country. While most men are still the primary wage earners, a significant portion of women are the breadwinners of an increasingly large number of single-parent households. Now, the main point of contention here is that the Philippines is not exactly an equal opportunity employer. The majority of the well-paying jobs still go to the men, and women are oftentimes relegated to low-paying, menial work such as secretarial jobs or clerking posts. And that’s if they choose to do it the “ honorable” way. Rampant stories run abound about with nursing school graduates saddled with an unwanted pregnancy, and are then forced to work as prostitutes to support the child as the husband had abandoned her. The Philippines is a country seemingly built for infidelity, and the practice is as socially accepted as it can ever get.. Thus, women are often saddled with unwanted babies, and with no good-paying jobs to support them, are forced to turn to drastic measures. (Department of Social Welfare and Development, 2008) While not all women are keen on exploring prostitution as a living , the next best alternative is to look for jobs abroad as a migrant worker. A lot of times these women would roll the dice and pay exorbitant “placement fees” to recruitment agencies just to land jobs overseas. These fees can go as high up as $1000- $2000, and some agency contracts will automatically deduct the amount through monthly installments from whatever will be earned overseas. For a country where the daily minimum wage is approximately Php 365 (roughly about $9), these placement fees oftentimes have these migrant worker aspirants committing their entire life savings in the hope for a better life. (Department of Labor and Employment, 2008) Because of poverty, it truly is a shot in the dark for these women, and they are willing to risk everything in order for their families to live comfortably. Once again, the burden of sacrifice is left on their shoulders. If the Filipina is lucky enough to indeed land the job she was promised, one last pitfall is to be at the mercy of an abusive employer. These all the more illustrate the sorry state of poverty in the Philippines, where economic status is terribly disproportionate, just like in India. The rich are ridiculously wealthy, while the rest of the country toils in crippling poverty. There is no defined middle class, hence no decent-paying jobs are available for majority of these women. (Countrystudies : Philippines, 2008) In the Philippines, the United Nations Development Fund for Women had instituted several programs in order to stimulate growth and further empower the cause of women in this developing country. In conjunction with a migrant workers organization, they had initiated a savings and investment program for returnees. This is well and good, as a lot of times returnees are simply excited to be home that they end up spending the hard earned money that they had scrimped and saved for a year in about 2 months.. This initiative empowers these women migrant workers to do the right thing and set aside their money wisely. However, I do not believe that these programs alone would suffice in reducing poverty. This strategy merely caters to those already with money, it serves more as a tool to avoid the perpetuation of poverty. However, the core issue for poverty-stricken women in the Philippines is that they still need to get out of the country in order to find a better life. Being separated from their loved ones for years at a time is definitely not the solution, and it seems that the UNIFEM strategy is merely affirming this. The focus must be placed on producing more jobs domestically, as the exodus of women abroad causes serious emotional and psychological distress to those left behind. Residing in a highly industrialized and dynamic country, knowing of their plight merely pushes me to treat these women migrant workers with more respect now that I know their stories in context. These are people I see from time to time, in varying capacities – as nurse, maid, nanny, even a waitress. With all this wealth and prosperity around us, one would never think that halfway around the world people are making a minimum of less than $9 a day. That is simply an eye-opener. It also gives you a clearer reference point concerning gender inequality in our country. As it is, we are truly blessed to have a progressive and equal-opportunity society, where women definitely have more choices and chances to succeed – a facet of our mundane lives often taken for granted. Bibliography 1.United Nations Development Fund for Women. Women Migrant Workers. . Retrieved electronically from http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/women_poverty_economics/women_migrant_workers.php on April 6, 2008 2. Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines. Prostitution on the Rise. Retrieved electronically from http://www.dswd.gov.ph on April 6, 2008 3.Department of Labor and Employment, Philippines. Index on Wages and Salaries. http://www.dole.gov.ph on April 6, 2008 4, Country Studies: Philippines. The Role and Status of Women in the Philippines. Retrieved electronically from http://countrystudies.us/philippines/44.htm on April 6, 2008 Read More