Filipino women work longer hours than men in doing care work, or unpaid tasks in helping people during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Oxfam Philippines, a poverty alleviation organization.
A recent Oxfam-commissioned National Household Care Survey highlighted women spending up to 13 hours a day on unpaid care work — compared to only 8 hours by men. These rates are higher than the numbers back in 2017, where the number of hours for unpaid care work were 12 hours for women against five hours for men.
RELATED STORY: Women more prone to mental health disorders due to poor diet, less exercise
Leah Payud, resilience portfolio manager of Oxfam Philippines, described these figures as ‘disappointing’ and stressed that this highlighted the prevailing inequality at home and that the bulk of unpaid care work still falls on women.
The survey found out that 7 out of 13 hours spent by women on care work involved multi-tasking or working on at least two tasks at the same time.
READ ON: UAE approves 11 new laws for women in two years
Oxfam urged the private sector to improve workplace policies including increased parental leaves, flexible work, and employer-supporter childcare. (AW)
