Women as Drivers of Philippine Rural Development: Analyzing the Role of Women’s Employment in Shaping Regional Poverty Dynamics and Human Development Using Seemingly Unrelated Regression
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70922/g0wx0z19Keywords:
poverty incidence, women employment, women labor force participation, rural development, economics of women employmentAbstract
This research examines the impact of women’s employment on poverty dynamics and human development in the rural regions of the Philippines. Despite progress in gender equality legislation, women’s participation in the labor force remains constrained by traditional gender roles, cultural expectations, and institutional barriers. Anchored in Social Role Theory and Gender Schema Theory, the study examines how these frameworks influence women’s labor market outcomes and socioeconomic contributions. Using panel data from 16 rural regions between 2018 and 2023, the research employs Pearson Correlation and Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) to examine the relationships among women’s labor force participation rate (WLFPR), number of employed women (NEW), poverty incidence (PVI), and the regional human development index (RHDI). Findings indicate that higher female employment and labor force participation are significantly correlated with reduced poverty incidence and improvements in human development. However, results also highlight the limitations of relying solely on employment indicators, pointing to the need for broader measures of gender equality, such as the gender wage gap, sectoral employment distribution, and legal frameworks as identified in the Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) Compendium of Indicators for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE). The study concludes that empowering women through employment is essential to rural development, but the scope of analysis is limited to 16 regions and PSA census-based data, which requires cautious interpretation. Policy recommendations include childcare support, skills development programs, and reforms aimed at dismantling restrictive gender norms. By addressing both socio-cultural and institutional barriers, this study provides insights for policymakers to promote inclusive and sustainable rural development.
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