Females in the Philippines spend nearly 11 hours each day on unpaid care and domestic work, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) said Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
In a Facebook post, the commission noted that such responsibility continues to limit their access to education, decent employment, and opportunities for personal growth.
This includes cooking, laundry, household maintenance, childcare, emotional support and relational concerns, elderly or sick/disabled care, and voluntary community work.
In line with the celebration of International Equal Pay Day, the PCW, in partnership with Oxfam Pilipinas and other key stakeholders, highlighted the critical role of care work as the backbone of society.
“We call for a future where care work is recognized, valued, and equally shared—so that women and men alike can pursue opportunities, enjoy decent work, and contribute fully to inclusive and gender-fair development,” it said.
Additionally, the PCW and its partners are spearheading the development of the National Care Economy Policy Framework to address these long-standing inequalities.
It is an evidence-based roadmap that aims to tackle unpaid care work through concrete, inclusive, and gender-responsive policies.
It seeks not only to redistribute the burden of care but also to create structures that enable both women and men to participate equally in caregiving and the workforce. / PNA