Abstract:
There has been a rise in the incidence of women-headed households in Metro Manila.
This would not have been a problem if it were not for the fact that the Philippines is a
third-world country where women are vulnerable subjects that lead them more often than not into
poverty. Despite being named as one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, the Philippines still has a long way to go in dismantling socialized gender roles. In that light, being a female-headed household is seen to exacerbate poverty due to the unequal status of men and women in society. However, we also have to acknowledge the fact that the welfare of these households are actually improving and at times even surpass male-headed households. Other indicators than gender and income might also come into play that help determine a household’s economic stability. The study primarily aims to assess welfare of female-headed household by looking into their intra-household characteristics, making a comprehensive analysis, and comparing it to the performance of their male-headed counterparts.
