Pia seeks recognition, support for women's unpaid family work

Highlights of the manifestation of Senator Pia Cayetano at the hearing of the Senate Committee on Gov't Corporations

I just want to expound a little bit on what I was saying on the concept of women's unpaid work. I just came from South Korea for a leadership workshop on health insurance, and also a meeting with Asian Parliamentarians on Global Health.

And one of the things I learned from the Korean parliamentarians, and just being able to walk around Korea, is that they are one of the fastest aging populations. In other words, patanda na nang patanda ang population nila.

Anyway, I mentioned this and tie it in now with women's unpaid work, because although malayo pa tayo at this present moment, since we have a very young population, but part of your job [referring to the SSS, Social Security System], I am sure actuarially and for the security of Filipinos, is to look into the future.

Parang papunta talaga doon ang advanced countries [habang] paliit nang paliit ang number of adults who want to have children. So there will be less and less women who want to be mothers because it's very difficult. I'll go back to 'Abenomics,' [moniker for the economic policies of the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which encouraged, among others, greater women's participation in governance and the economy]. I was saying that Abenomics wanted to support women in the workforce, and that includes daycare, after-work care, so that they can be mothers and still be working at the same time. I am just saying, futuristically, because part of your job [SSS], is to look at how we help women in the workforce, and I go back to the concept of women's unpaid work.

If I compare now the Philippines to Korea, and alam ko hirap na hirap [ang mga pamilya] na andaming anak tapos walang magandang trabaho. On the extreme, sa Korea, [kakaunti ang gustong magka-anak]. So hindi rin naman natin gustong mapunta tayo doon, di ba?

So how do we encourage couples to still have children and have a secure future for themselves and the country? There might be a clash there, do you know what I mean? I hope I am not talking vague terms. So that's the concept of women's unpaid work, because poorer families who can't afford, wala naman silang pambayad ng househelp, wala silang pang daycare, wala naman tayong daycare, hindi masyadong uso sa atin yan. I just wanted to put that on record because this is something that we need to address in the future.