In celebration of International Women’s Day, a labor NGO said that sexism, currently a hot topic on Philippine social media, exists in the country’s workplaces, as women workers struggle with lower pay, lack of maternity benefits, denial of job security, and sexual harassment and violence.

Labor NGO Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said that the sexism expressed by Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay against actress Anne Curtis, and lately by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio against Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago, co-exist with, and strengthen, the oppression of women in workplaces.

“The sexism being publicly expressed by these male politicians and personalities against female actresses and activists is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of their oppression as workers, women workers are also oppressed as women. They live the sexist tirades directed at Anne and Sarah in their working lives,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

CTUHR cited the following information from a December 2025 paper from the Philippine Statistics Authority:

à While women workers generally work the same hours as their male counterparts, their average basic pay is lower by 31% in crafts and trades, and by 29.4% in the elementary professions, than their male counterparts.
à While half of employed women, or 50.4%, are in the private and public sectors, half are in the informal sector – 28% are self-employed, 10.4% are in unpaid work, and 8.8% in private household. Work in the informal sector receive low pay and exist outside the protection of labor standards, including those on sexual harassment and violence in the workplace, as well as social protection, including maternity benefits.
à As regards wage employment, most women workers, at 32.4%, are in the services sector, wholesale and retail trade, which is notorious for contractualization and precarity. Women’s share in agriculture is 14.1% while their share in manufacturing is a mere 7.7%, and their share in other industrial sectors is very low. Manufacturing and industry offer higher wages and stability to workers.
https://cpbrd.congress.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/FF2025-71-FILIPINO-WOMEN-IN-THE-LABOR-FORCE-PARTICIPATION-PAY-GAPS-SECTORAL-CONCENTRATION.pdf

“Public statements such as those made by Suntay and Topacio further legitimize sexism and reinforce sexism and the oppression faced by women workers. At the same time, until the government creates a sound employment policy based on developing industry and agriculture and on gender equality, women workers will continue to suffer,” Deligente stated.

“We call on the public to condemn and reject the statements made by Suntay and Topacio and the entire mindset and social relations that they represent. We call on women workers to unite and fight for their rights together with the labor movement. We call on the government to rethink its failed employment policy of simply attracting foreign investors to create jobs,” said Deligente.