The conditions of women-farmers, including the huge gap in the pay they receive compared to their male counterparts, were highlighted in an exhibit mounted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in its headquarters in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.
In the exhibit, titled The Land Nurturers, photo stories show that women outnumber the men by 2 percent during planting season. They also spend two days more than the men in harvesting and about three days in drying rice grain.
Dr. Diadem B. Gonzales-Esmero, PhilRice Gender and Development focal person, said the exhibit aims to increase awareness on the conditions of the women-farmers.
“The contributions of women in rice farming are not noteworthy, but their issues are not given much attention. Other than working hours and wage, we also learned that they also have the least access to some services,” Esmero said in a statement.
“These are based on data we gathered from three international and national studies and integrated the results in this art and photo exhibit,” she added.
In their 2016 study, “Women at Work in the Farm,” Dr. Irene R. Tanzo and her colleagues found that the women-farmers in Quezon and Zamboanga del Norte are engaged in more than half of the 51 farm activities from land preparation until selling of rice. They are mostly involved during pulling of seedlings, transplanting and harvesting.
Despite equal work, Tanzo’s study on cross-country hired farm labor and wage differences showed that women-farmers earn less than the men by around P108 a day. In Nueva Ecija, the women-farmers’ wage is around P50 less than the men during crop establishment and P216 during threshing.
The study of Daryl Leyesa of National Rural Women Coalition-Philippines also revealed that women work for 11 hours during planting and harvestings days. In the farm household, they take the lead decision-making role in nine of 12 production areas, including farm capital, animal raising and vegetable growing. Her male counterpart, meanwhile, decides over the seeds and where/when to sell their produce.
Moreover, when compared with the woman workers in corn, coconut, sugar, vegetables and onion, the women rice farmers had the least access to school and health-care facilities.
Launched on March 5 and installed at PhilRice main building, the exhibit is open to the public until April 6. PhilRice Gender and Development Focal Point System spearheaded the
exhibit program.