Parañaque City: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has called on governments across the Asia Pacific region to adopt initiatives aimed at creating gender-responsive social security systems. This appeal was made during the 41st ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Conference and Board Meetings, held at the Seda Manila Bay Hotel in Parañaque City.

According to Philippines News Agency, Rachel Mary Anne Basas, Gender Officer at ADB’s Gender Equality Division, highlighted several key measures in her presentation. She urged the extension of social protection to informal workers and stressed the importance of addressing unpaid work through investments in subsidized care services, such as childcare, eldercare, and disability care, to alleviate the burden on women.

Basas also emphasized the need to raise awareness about social security benefits, particularly for women in rural and marginalized communities. She advocated for involving men in caregiving roles, financial decision-making, and gender-based violence pre
vention. Additionally, she called for expanding access to affordable childcare and early childhood education services and providing financial support to women in vulnerable situations.

Citing a 2015 ADB study, Basas pointed out that women in Asia and the Pacific are generally less protected than men when it comes to social protection expenditures. “Social protection expenditures are higher for men than for women in both developed and developing countries,” she noted. On the subject of social insurance, she mentioned that women, except in North and Central Asia, are less covered than men.

Basas also referred to a 2024 International Labour Organization (ILO) study titled the World Social Protection Report, which underscores persistent gender inequality in social protection coverage across the Asia Pacific.

For the Philippines, Basas acknowledged the role of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in addressing gender gaps in social protection. The 4Ps is a national poverty reduction strate
gy that offers conditional cash transfers to impoverished households, aiming to improve health, nutrition, and education over a maximum period of seven years.

The program addresses gender dimensions in social protection, such as health and maternal care, education, and intrahousehold resource distribution. It also includes family development sessions that equip women with knowledge on gender issues, health, and family planning and includes efforts to engage men in gender equality initiatives.

Basas also praised the Philippines for expanding its maternity leave law to 105 days, describing it as one of the most progressive measures in the Asia Pacific region. “The Philippines is one of the most progressive in the Asia Pacific region, and not all countries in this region can enable mothers to have that kind of number of days for a maternity leave,” she stated.