UNICEF-PATAMABA-CSWCD Study on Subcontracted Women and Children Homeworkers in Various Manufacturing Industries in the Philippines

The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre conducted a study from January 2000 to March 2001 in collaboration with UNICEF Manila, the national women workers' organization Pambansang Tagapag-ugnay ng mga Manggagawa sa Bahay (PATAMABA), and the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) of the University of the Philippines (UP).

The study focused on women and child homeworkers in subcontracted work in the industrial sectors of pyrotechnics, okra, fashion accessories, metalcraft, and Christmas balls and lights production in four provinces of the Philippines - Bulacan, Tarlac, Cebu and Rizal.

The same study was carried out in four other countries - India, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan.

The aim of the study was to discover the nature of subcontracting in each production sector, the conditions of work, and the situation of women and child homeworkers in these sectors. Data was obtained through a survey of 270 women and children homeworker respondents in 135 homebased households, and 76 women, men and children respondents in 38 non-homebased households; eight case studies of women and children homeworkers; and the conduct of several focused group discussions and key informant interviews. For comparative purposes, the study had a control group of non-homebased households, and a small sample of male respondents.

Those who would like to have a copy of the full report are invited to contact us directly. For a SUMMARY of the study report, please click here.

UNICEF-PATAMABA-CSWCD STUDY: SUMMARY

For your ease of reference, we have outlined the discussion topics of each chapter.

SCOPE & CONTENTS

• How the study was prepared and conducted. The problems, objectives and methodology used in the research
• Homework in the four production sectors of pyrotechnics, home décor (metal craft, Christmas balls and Christmas lights), okra and fashion accessories. Defining 'homework' sectors and 'home' in the Philippine context. The similarities and differences in terms of subcontracting between the sectors: the seasonal nature of production; agricultural versus manufactured products; mono versus varied products; market and management orientation versus individual contracting; and direct versus mediated management.
• How the Philippines has become increasingly linked to the global market through policies to promote exports, liberalize the goods and capital markets, and attract foreign capital.
• The effects of a global market economy on the utilization of subcontracting and homework, and the effects of the contractualization of labour on workers, specifically homeworkers.
• The implications of macro- and micro-economic policies for homebased subcontracted manufacturing.
• The relationship between national and international subcontracting; the determinants of subcontracting and how these manifest themselves in the particular sectors included in the study.
• The mechanics of subcontracting - the subcontracting chain at each step, from the homeworker to the retailer per sector. The nature of subcontracting and the relationship between the different links in the subcontracting chain, the production process, prices and the value chain, wages and benefits, and work conditions and their effect on workers.
• The advantages homeworkers offer to subcontractors/employers, and the reasons why homeworkers engage in subcontracted homework.
• Key findings of surveys, case studies and focused group discussions (FGDs).
• Conclusions and recommendations.

Key Findings

One consequence of the Government's export-oriented strategy has been the increased participation of females and children in the labour force due to the significant rise in subcontracting. Subcontracting is the preferred option of firms that require simple worker skills and which opt for flexible labour arrangements thus avoiding long-term employment relationships with their inherent costs.

Findings of the survey, case studies and FGDs on women homeworkers in the four production sectors

Survey respondents in homebased work were married females, many of whom had little education and skills. Many had spouses employed in low-skilled, low-paying jobs; very few husbands involved themselves in homebased work. There were more economically active females in households with homebased work than in those without. Homebased work provided these women with the opportunity to supplement the household while satisfying their traditional role of looking after the children and attending to the home.

Women homebased workers tend to rely more on their daughters than their sons to do reproductive work. While they express sympathy for children doing hazardous work, they are happy when children contributed to the family coffers. They place a high priority on education and believe this to be the key to a better future for their children. When children, however, are forced to stop schooling because of economic difficulties, the daughters are the first to suffer.

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From the focused group discussions (FGDs), we learned that women in subcontracted work, which is often insecure and seasonal in nature, are often the victim of forces they do not understand and which are beyond their control.

Subcontracted work can lead to de-skilling, for example, women who used to be skilled embroidery sewers, are now relegated to menial tasks like folding, cutting, winding, pasting, etc., which even children can do.

Although the women are glad to have subcontracted work, they find themselves even more burdened especially during times of economic difficulties when they need to strive harder to stretch the family budget and cut down on even the most basic of necessities. This has harmful physical and psychological effects on their health.

Problems such as floods and other natural disasters, inadequate and poor social services, and male alcoholism and violence, add immeasurably to these women's multiple burdens, which are often transferred on to their children.

The women want community-based interventions which address the following issues: alternative livelihoods, better and safer working conditions, increased educational opportunities (especially for working children), improved public and social services including sanitation facilities, alcoholism and male violence, gender sensitivity training for both men and women, environmental protection, and children's and women's rights. In order to do something positive about their situation, they recognized the need to organize themselves.

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The case studies show a link between the low education of mothers with children and adolescents having to work. They highlight gender issues connected with problematic, alcoholic fathers and insensitive, irresponsible husbands who do not help out in the home.
The cases exemplify how industrious women are in keeping their families afloat, combining subcontracted work with other means of livelihood, while seeking to improve their economic situation by accessing available resources. The vulnerability of women homebased workers to economic difficulties when orders/sales decline, as well as their lack of social protection in the event of sickness or death in the family is also apparent. The women hope for a better future for their children through higher education.

The case studies also describe the various stages and modes of empowerment, starting with getting organized and having access to resources.

Findings of the survey, case studies and FGDs on children

The findings show that children in homebased work do make significant contribution to the household income. Household poverty and parents' attitudes are responsible for children engaging in homework. From both the standpoints of parents and children, working is a commendable sacrifice, even if it means foregoing school, so that the family can survive, especially in hard times. While most working children are school going, those who are able to earn more from homework such the metal crafts, give up schooling entirely. There is a minority who does not want to work at all and so, probably work reluctantly.

The findings do not indicate a significant difference in the health and educational status of children in home production compared with their non-working counterparts, except for those in metal craft production, where children earn more, are less healthy, and are more likely to be absent from school. Households that depend heavily on children for homebased work, however, generally suffer from poor health.

The gender issue of working females being more burdened than males is also present in the children's group. During crises, parents are more likely to take their daughters rather than their sons, out of school, to work. Women homeworkers generally have little education, and this carries over to their daughters who are most likely to end up as homeworkers too. Girls are aware of this discrimination and indicate their unhappiness about it. They are, however, forced to accept the situation.

The children are not exactly unaware of their rights. They attribute their knowledge to a programme on the media - this indicates that the mass media can play an important role in the education and awareness building of children.

CONCLUSIONS

Basically, the study confirms the 'informality' of the homebased sector which has no security for workers in terms of laws, and no binding, written contracts. Wages paid are 'dirt cheap'.

The role played by women and children in this informal sector is seen to have a close relationship to poverty. Subcontracting enables the formal sector to increasingly draw communities into the global market without any improvement in their working and living conditions.

A blurring of lines between the homebased entrepreneur and the homeworker is highlighted. Since the entire family is engaged in production, especially the women and children, roles can and do easily shift from worker to employer and back, which clouds the focus on their interests. The deciding factor between becoming subcontractor or homeworker is simply access to capital.

The role of subcontractor as homebased employer, seen to be crucial in mediating between the formal and the informal settings, is now in a precarious position. As the informal community gains recognition and begins to demand more formal employment terms, the primary contractor or employer is more likely to approach this community directly.

Children in general, and not just child homeworkers, need greater support particularly in the areas of education and health. Girls are the most oppressed and exploited by stereotyped expectations in the largely patriarchal Philippine culture.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• More budgetary allocations for women and children homeworkers so that they can have greater access to and control of resources necessary for decent and sustainable forms of livelihood.
• The review, amendment and proper enforcement of existing laws such as Department Order No. 5 on homework and the Republic Act 7610/7658 on child labor. The enactment of a new law - the Magna Carta for Informal Sector Workers - and the ratification of ILO Convention 177 on Homework.
• Social protection for homebased workers through their inclusion in the social security system and the national health insurance scheme as well as the provision of safety nets during times of crisis. The possible application of a Social Amelioration Fund for the sectors included in the study. Support for communities seeking to make the transition from hazardous occupations to non-hazardous ones. Meeting the health and safety needs of women and child workers, providing scholarships for working children, monitoring their health and nutritional status, establishing Barangay Councils for the Protection of Children (BCPCs), and 'homeworkers' desks' in local government units.
• For UNICEF, the study proposes practical actions subsequent to the research, the improvement of support for existing programmes, and the implementation of more gender- and child-sensitive development initiatives.
• For NGOs and POs (people's organizations) active in the communities studied, the need for organizing is stressed as paramount, together with awareness-raising, capacity-building, enhancing access to and control of resources, and participation in decision-making. Basically, these organizations should work together with the homebased communities to strengthen the community workers' rights, network for the address of gender issues including family violence, and deal with environmental, and peace and order issues in the communities.
  On the whole, the study recommends a holistic and integrated approach to the empowerment and protection of women and children engaged in subcontracted homebased work in the production sectors identified.