WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE ELECTRONICS FACTORIES OF THE PHILIPPINES, IN TERMS OF GENDER

We analyse the working conditions in which electronic equipment is produced by factory workers in the Philippines

The feminization of labour in the manufacturing sector has been a global trend in recent decades, extending to many economic sectors, including electronics.

The report highlights that female workers in electronics factories, in this case in the Philippines, tend to have less access to education and fewer employment alternatives with respect to men, due to the sexual division of labour and gender inequality. Many of them come from rural areas and see paid work in the factory as an attractive option. However, working there poses serious risks to their health and integrity.

→ Elaborated by SETEM Catalunya.
→ In collaboration with Worker’s Assistance Center (WAC), Institute of Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP),0 Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER) 1 and Centre of Trade Unions and Humans Rights (CTUHR).

Gender stereotypes and double discrimination

Another factor that has boosted the feminization of work in factories are the gender stereotypes, by which women are perceived as workers easier to controland more submissive than men. Women are considered second-class workers, who can be made to work in worse conditions.

Gender violence in the Philippines’ electronics factories

Most electronics factories in the Philippines are located in the Special Economic Zones, governed by rules different from the rest of the country that facilitate companies to violate workers’ rights. The most frequent labour rights violations include: working hours above the limits set by national law; precarious wages; forced labour; exposure to unprotected toxic substances and misinformation about the associated risks and sexual harassment.

No guarantee of union freedom

In the Philippines, only a small number of working people are syndicated. In the electronics sector, the trade union axa is especially low. This is due to the location of most of the industry in special economic zones, which have their own rules and are closely monitored, not only by private guards, but also by guards employed by the authority of the economic zone.