THE STATUS OF WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN BALAWAG, TABUK CITY, KALINGA

Abstract

Women's empowerment has consistently been a contentious topic in the intricate society's cultural context. Thus, studying various determinants of women’s empowerment is needed. The present study entails an investigation of the empowerment of women aged 15 above in Balawag, Tabuk City from socioeconomic and demographic perspectives. The dimensions of women’s empowerment is based from women’s participation in household decision-making (decisions on major household purchases, visits to family or relatives, their health care; and the well-being of their children) and their major economic activities. Overall, the findings of the study show that a higher empowerment level is associated with women’s employment and a higher educational attainment. Majority of the women are unemployed, however they are engaged in economic activities such as farming, livestock production, food processing and selling, sewing, poultry production, fishery, soap making and restaurant business. Generating employment opportunities for women and educating women are important factors that can lead to an increase in women’s income, and accordingly, help raise the levels of women’s empowerment.