Gender inequality in Philippine higher education
Date
2017-07
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Abstract
The Philippines is among the most gender-equal nations in the world, having closed gender gaps in several dimensions of human development, one of which is education. Consistent with the trend worldwide, more Filipino women than men now are participating in higher education, overturning the history of male dominance in the sector. This study argues that this, however, does not suffice to claim that Philippine higher education has become a gender-equal sphere as access statistics could be masking less apparent forms of gender inequality. This study tries to determine the extent of gender equality in Philippine higher education in terms of participation and gender segregation in college disciplines, looking into how the latter relates to women’s labor market participation. Drawing data from the 2014 Annual Poverty Indicator Survey and 2014 Labor Force Survey, this study also empirically determines (1) household-related factors possibly generating the difference between men and women’s college enrollment and number of post-secondary years of schooling, and (2) the monetary returns to college disciplines that men and women pursue. Overall, this study finds that women’s advances in college participation is undermined by gender disparities in another aspect of higher education, which have consequences on their economic outcomes.