Seven in ten currently married women decide jointly with their husband on the control of their earnings

Women are considered to have control over their own earnings, if they participate in decision alone or jointly with their spouse on how their earnings will be used. Nearly seven in ten (69 percent) currently married women age 15 to 49 years with cash earnings with cash earnings for employment in the 12 months before the survey decide jointly with their husband on how earnings are used. Moreover, 28 percent decide themselves on how their earnings are used while only three percent said that their husband mainly decides how their earnings are used. (Figure 1)

Figure 1. Percent Distribution of Currently Married Women Age 15-49 Years Who Received Cash Earnings for Employment in the 12 Months Preceding the Survey by Person Who Decides How Wife’s Cash Earnings are Used, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

Moreover, the extent of women’s participation in the family’s decision making can also be measured by the amount of control they have over the use of their husband’s cash earnings. Figure 2 shows that more than seven in ten (71 percent) of currently married women age 15 to 49 years decide jointly with their husband about the use of their husband’s earnings. Surprisingly, one in five women or 21 percent said that they themselves are the ones who mainly decide how their husband’s earnings are used.

Figure 2. Percent Distribution of Currently Married Women Age 15-49 Years Who Received Cash Earnings for Employment in the 12 Months Preceding the Survey by Person Who Decides How Husband’s Cash Earnings are Used, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

More than half of currently married women with cash earnings (52 percent) earn less than their husband, 27 percent earn the same as their husband, and 18 percent earn more than their husband. (Table 1)

Table 1. Percent Distribution of Currently Married Women Age 15-49 Years
Who Earned More or Less than their Husband, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

For women’s ownership of assets including houses, land, and mobile phones as well as their use of bank accounts and mobile-money-service providers in MIMAROPA, 86 percent of women age 15 to 49 years own any mobile phone. Of these, 78 percent own smartphone. Nearly 4 out of 10 women have use bank account, 36 percent own a house, and 8 percent own a land.

Figure 3. Percent Distribution of Women Age 15-49 Years Who Owns House, Land, Mobile Phones and Bank Accounts, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

Eighty-six percent of currently married women participate in three specific household decisions

The result show that more than nine in ten currently married women in MIMAROPA said they participate in decisions about their own health care (96 percent) and visits to their family or relatives (94 percent). Slightly fewer currently married women participated in making decisions about major household purchases (89 percent). About 86 percent of women participated in all three decisions while three percent of currently married women participated in none of the three decisions.

Figure 4. Percentage Share of Currently Married Women Age 15 to 49 Years by
Specific Household Decision, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

One in ten women agree that wife beating Is justified under at least one specific circumstance

Overall, 11 percent of women believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife for at least one of the reasons listed. The most widely accepted reasons for wife beating among women is neglecting the children (7 percent). Three percent of women feel a husband is justified in beating his wife if she argues with him, while two percent of women agree that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she refuses to have sexual intercourse with him. About one percent agree that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife if she burns the food or goes out without telling him.

Figure 5. Percentage of All Women Age 15 to 49 Years Who Agree that a Husband is Justified in Hitting or Beating His Wife for Specific Reason, MIMAROPA: 2022

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey

(SGD) LENI R. RIOFLORIDO
Regional Director

MLLM/RRL/MGTF

TECHNICAL NOTES

The 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) is the seventh Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in the Philippines in collaboration with the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program and the 12th in a series of national DHS surveys conducted every five (5) years since 1968.

Funding for the 2022 NDHS was provided by the Government of the Philippines, while the provision of tablet computers for data collection was supported by the Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Other agencies and organizations that facilitated the successful implementation of the survey through technical support were the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The primary objective of the 2022 NDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the NDHS collected information on fertility, fertility preferences, family planning practices, childhood mortality, maternal and child health, nutrition, knowledge and attitudes regarding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), violence against women, child discipline, early childhood development, and other health issues.

The information collected through the NDHS is intended to assist policymakers and program managers in designing and evaluating programs and strategies for improving the health of the country’s population. The 2022 NDHS also provides indicators anchored to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the new Philippine Development Plan for 2023 to 2028.