Oxfam Pilipinas, together with the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia and the OCI Group, has launched Asenso Squad—an inspiring online campaign that unites the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) community. Through shared experiences, the campaign brings to the forefront important conversations around breadwinning, unpaid care work, and gender equality.
This initiative is part of the larger “EmpowerHer: Embedding Gender Equality in MSME Business Practices in the Philippines” project, which aims to tackle the unequal burden of care work at home—a key factor limiting women’s economic opportunities. Supported by Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government, the project encourages a more balanced sharing of caregiving responsibilities within households.
“When care work is shared equally at home, it not only lightens the load for women but also strengthens the entire family,” says Lot Felizco, Executive Director of Oxfam Pilipinas. “It opens up opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, to grow personally and professionally.”
Felizco emphasizes that empowering women to participate more fully in economic activities creates a ripple effect: “It boosts household incomes, strengthens communities, and drives inclusive growth. But to unlock this potential, we must redistribute care work more fairly.”
The campaign kicks off with an online forum titled Family or Career, Why Not Both? Pag-usapan natin paano sumakses sa bahay at buhay. This forum explores how assigning the majority of unpaid care and domestic tasks to women often restricts their ability to seek employment or entrepreneurship opportunities—opportunities that could help lift families financially.
The Gender Gap Challenge
Recent data highlight the urgency of this conversation. In the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index, the Philippines dropped nine places to 25th, reflecting setbacks in achieving gender parity in economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment.
Specifically, the country recorded a 1.4 percentage point decrease in women’s economic participation and opportunity. It also saw declines in women's representation among legislators, senior officials, and managers, as well as in perceived wage equality.
A significant factor behind this trend? Women’s heavier share of unpaid care work. Tasks like childcare, elder care, cooking, cleaning, and other household responsibilities often default to women, limiting their time and opportunity to join or stay in the workforce.
A 2024 study by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) reflected similar findings. Only 21.9 million women (0.8% less than previous years) were actively working, compared to 30 million men (76% participation rate). The study also pointed out that marriage and childbearing typically lead to a decline in women’s labor force participation, reinforcing traditional roles where men are seen as economic providers and women as caregivers.
Oxfam Pilipinas’ earlier 2021 study further revealed that women spend an average of 6.5 hours daily on unpaid care work, three times more than men. Even young girls reportedly spend more time on chores compared to boys their age. Alarmingly, the same study found that harmful attitudes persist: some respondents accepted shouting at women or shaming men for doing housework.
Join the Movement
Everyone has a role to play in creating more equitable homes and workplaces. To learn more and be part of the conversation, join the AsensoSquad Facebook group. Share your experiences, learn from others, and discover how we can all succeed—both at home and at work.
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