MikeLigalig.com

By DAVID DIZON
abs-cbnNEWS.com

More Filipino women are getting jobs overseas and may soon outnumber male overseas Filipino workers, a study by the Commission on Population revealed Tuesday.

According to the 4th State of the Philippine Population Report, the phenomenal rise in the number of Filipinos working overseas is also marked by the growing proportion of female migrant workers.

Records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that females made up more than 70 percent of newly hired overseas Filipino workers from the year 2000 to 2005. In 2004 and 2006, Filipinas actually outnumbered the men in the total number of Filipinos employed abroad. This is a far cry from the National Statistics Office 2000 Census data that showed 50.27 percent of OFWs at the time were male and 49.73 percent were female.

The PopCom report added that in 2006, six out of 10 newly-hired overseas workers were female. At least 28.8 percent of total women OFWs are in the 25-29 age group, the report added.

PopCom Commissioner Grace Cruz said the government should focus on mitigating the social costs of the increasing feminization of Filipino international labor migration.

"The woman is like the light of the family. Sending the women out is like extinguishing the light. There are a lot of consequences there especially on the children. We have case studies that show that children who were reared in the absence of parents are more likely to engage in risk behavior. They get into smoking, drinking, drugs, drop out of school and even marry early," Cruz told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

"Some women OFWs are not being empowered. True, they may be earning money for their families but their jobs and working conditions are not exactly empowering," she added.

Cruz said most Filipinas are hired as household helpers, entertainers, caregivers, nurses and health service providers in other countries. She said women predominate in seven out of 10 top destination countries for OFWs.

In Hong Kong, 93 percent of OFWs are women doing domestic work. In Kuwait, women, mostly domestic helpers, make up 74 percent of total OFWs deployed there. And in Japan, 53 percent of OFWs are female who mostly work in the entertainment industry.

Cruz said some Filipinas who decide to work are forced to take jobs that are below their skills set. Some are college graduates who agree to become maids for foreign employers, she said.

She said Filipinas who work as household helpers in other countries sometimes experience gender discrimination, low wages and even abuse.

According to the 4th State of the Philippine Population Report, the government should implement more aggressive policies and programs that would protect women and their rights. It added that measures to combat trafficking in persons should be strengthened.

"These should include provisions for quicker and more efficient prosecution of persons engaged in trafficking, protection of and assistance to victims, coordination between domestic and international investigations, and ensure that emigratuin agencies adopt protective approach," the report said.

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