Male farm workers were paid P284.72 per day higher than what was paid to female farm workers at P255.80 per day, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
According to its report, "Trends in Agricultural Wage Rates," the country’s nominal wage rate of agricultural workers averaged P280.37 per day in 2017.
Across regions, the daily nominal wage rate was highest in Calabarzon at P370.14, and lowest in Central Visayas at P236.97. Daily wage rates were highest in Calabarzon for the male farm workers at P371.72, and for the female farm workers at P351.07. The lowest daily agricultural wage rates for the males were recorded in Central Visayas at P238.80, and for the females in Eastern Visayas at P217.98.
Mimaropa Region recorded a wide male-female wage differential at P64.35 per day, with male farm workers receiving P307.25. This was followed by Central Luzon and Caraga with P46.41 and P41.82 wage differences between male and female, respectively. The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) showed the least wage gap between male and female farm workers at P2.54.
Palay farm laborers registered the highest nominal wage rate at P303.98 per day, while corn farm workers received the least wage rate at P246.05 per day. Meanwhile, the daily nominal wage rates of those working in coconut and sugarcane farms were pegged at P271.72 and P253.69, respectively.
In palay farms, the wage rates of male and female laborers corresponded to P309.83 and P277.44, posting the biggest wage differential of P32.39 per day. In contrast, the gender wage gap at P20.30 per day was smallest in corn farms, where male workers were paid P251.21, while female workers received P230.91 per day.
The “Trends in Agricultural Wage Rates” is an annual publication of the PSA. The latest report contains the results of the 2017 Agricultural Wage Rate Survey.
It covered a total of 5,540 sample households who hired farm workers particularly for the four major crops namely, palay, corn, coconut and sugarcane.
The full report contains national and regional wage rate statistics that are presented by type of labor, by farm activity and by basis of payment. It also includes gender-based data on wage rates and the extent of women’s participation in agricultural production activities. / PR