Inflation is often discussed in numbers: percentages, forecasts and policy targets. But behind those figures are lives, and in the Philippines today, it is women in marginalized sectors who are paying the highest price.
Farmers are trapped in debt as fuel and fertilizer costs soar while crop prices stagnate. Many women prioritize selling their produce to pay creditors, leaving less food for their own families. Hunger is not an abstract risk; it is a daily reality.
Fisherfolk women face displacement from coastal development projects, while rising fuel costs make fishing trips unaffordable. Their catch is worth less in the market, yet their household expenses climb higher each week.
Indigenous women endure harassment and land loss as infrastructure projects push them out of ancestral territories. Inflation magnifies this injustice, stripping them of both cultural anchors and economic security.
Transport sector women—wives and female jeepney drivers—see incomes collapse from ?700–?800 a day to barely ?200–300. Families survive on rice with bago-ong, or skip meals altogether. Education becomes a luxury many can no longer afford.
The gendered burden of survival
Inflation is not gender-neutral. Women, as household managers, caregivers, and workers in informal sectors, absorb the shock first. They skip meals so children can eat. They stretch inadequate wages against a living cost that has outpaced reality. They face harassment, displacement, and exploitation—all while carrying the responsibility of keeping families afloat.
Beyond numbers: A call to action
Government policy gaps—like excise taxes and VAT on oil—pass costs directly to consumers, worsening the burden on poor households. Corruption and mismanagement siphon funds away from social services that could ease the pain.Yet women are not passive victims. Grassroots groups like Gabriela, with its affiliates and alliances, non-government organizations and civil society groups, are organizing protests, demanding accountability and relief. Their resistance is a reminder that inflation is not just an economic issue—it is a political and moral one.
Conclusion
Inflation in the Philippines is deepening structural inequality; and women in marginalized sectors are at the sharpest edge of this crisis. Their struggles are not side stories; they are the frontline of survival. If policymakers continue to treat inflation as a matter of numbers alone, they will miss the human cost—and the gendered injustice—that defines this moment.
Personal note
As I write this, I cannot help but think of the women I’ve met who quietly skip meals so their children can eat, who endure harassment to protect their land, who stretch every peso until it frays. Inflation is not just about economics—it is about dignity, justice and survival. If we fail to see women’s struggles as central to this crisis, we fail to see the truth.This is not just an economic debate. It is a women’s rights issue, and it demands our collective voice.(davaotoday.com)
