TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, March 25 (PIA) – Women empowerment is one of the slogans being bannered by the Regional Gender and Development Council (RGADC) to ensure that gender equality should be addressed both in the public and private sector and also in the household for deciding family matters.
According to Ms. Evangeline M. Paran, RGADC Chairperson, gender equality and women empowerment should be the guiding state of mind in order for them to realize that they had a very important role to be done for the betterment of the whole community.
Based on the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about half or 48.6% of currently married women aged 15-49 in Eastern Visayas are the decision makers on how their own earnings will be spent.
It further revealed that the proportion of women who decide independently on their earnings increased from 43.0% in 2008 to 48.6% in 2013.
The survey also showed that there were more married women (49.3%) who said that they make decisions jointly with their husband, and barely 2.1% reported that their husbands mainly decide on how the earnings will be used.
In 2013, around two-thirds or 67.2% of these women reported that they earn less than their husband.
The proportion of women who earn less than their husband increased by 3.9%, from 63.3% in the year 2008.
In terms of participation in household decision making, more than three-fourths or 76.3% of married women participate in four major household decisions. Most of the women decide on their own health care (94.8%), participate in decisions concerning visits to her family or relatives (93.5%) and purchases for daily household needs (90.3%).
RGADC Chair Paran said that the survey shows that women in Eastern Visayas are already aware of their rights and actively participate in decision making.
Gender equality is now recognized and respected and felt in all undertakings, concludes Paran. (PIA-8)
– See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1991427075780/married-women-in-region-8-decide-on-how-to-spend-family-earnings#sthash.MPkg3zIA.dpuf
