Among all workers, who spend the most time at work?

MANILA, Philippines – On Friday, May 1, the Philippines and the rest of the world recognize all workers, whether male or female, across all industries.

But who among the workers spend the longest hours at work? Statistics on various industries clearly show it’s the women executives.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) indicate that across gender and industries from 2006 to 2013, female “officials of government and special-Interest organizations, corporate executives, managers, managing proprietors and supervisors” spent the most time at work.

Click on the circle below to see data for either men or women. Then hover over the circles to see actual numbers.

Coming in close second are male “service workers and shop and market sales workers.”

The PSA figures show that when compared to their male counterparts, female workers spent more time in work in only two of the 10 industries identified. Yet the total average hours spent at work by both men and women show it’s the females who generally stay at work longer.

In a 2002 report, the International Labor Organization (ILO) actually noted that this trend is a “global exception”. The report claims that while men work longer hours than women in other countries, “employed [Filipino] women were two to three times more likely than men to work exceptionally long hours of over 64 hours per week.”

The report adds:

In the Philippines, women increasingly work in services, call centres and the electronics industry. Employers think women have better skills and aptitudes for this type of work. Driven by the lack of other opportunities, women tend to accept long working hours to earn more.

“Compared to men, working women tend to spend more money on education and better nutrition for their children. At the same time, they help to create jobs for domestic workers,” Linda Wirth, Director of the Subregional Office of the ILO in Manila, said.

In a BusinessWorld report, labor professor Rene Ofreneo explained the phenomenon of Filipino women becoming breadwinners: “Industries that are coming up, such as in services, are women-dominated. The labor market favors women,” he told BusinessWorld. 

And that’s beside the issue that women workers are way behind on pay and benefits compared to their male counterparts.

Given the long hours of paid work of many Filipino women, one is left wondering, how are they able to balance work and family? – with research by Jaclyn Teng and Reynaldo Santos Jr/Rappler.com

Busy female executive image from Shutterstock