Toward an Inclusive Social Insurance Coverage in the Philippines: Examining Gender Disparities

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The Philippines, a country prone to natural calamities and vulnerable to economic fluctuations, has much to accomplish in improving workers’ access to social protection. A focus on women’s access to social protection programs is crucial because of their significantly lower labor force participation rate than men, and therefore, limited access to social protection. Using data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, this paper looks into the coverage of major social protection programs in the Philippines and examines the circumstances of different types of workers. The study also identifies the locations of individuals who have no access to social protection programs and belong to the bottom 30 percent of households in the country, as they represent those most in need of government intervention. Finally, it examines the social insurance aspect of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to gain insights into how the country can improve coverage of social protection programs.