Eliminating discrimination against female employees in the Philippines

The House of Representatives in the Philippines has approved a third and final reading of a bill that seeks to strengthen the anti-discrimination provisions of the law by providing that it “shall be unlawful for any employer to discriminate against any woman employee with respect to terms and conditions of employment solely on account of her sex or characteristics of her sex, whether actual or presumed.”

Under the proposed bill, three instances are added to the definition of acts of discrimination.

Firstly, the payment of a lesser compensation, including wage, salary or other form of remuneration and fringe benefits, to a female employee as against a male employee, for work of equal value.

Secondly, favouring a male employee over a female employee with respect to assignment, promotion, employment benefits, training opportunities, study and scholarship grants solely on account of their sex or characteristics of their sex, whether actual or presumed.

And lastly, favouring a male employee over a female employee with respect to dismissal of personnel or the application of any retrenchment policy of the employer solely on account of their sex or characteristics of their sex, whether actual or presumed, reported Philstar Global.

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The bill will also penalise employers who “deny any woman the benefits of employment or other statutory benefits by reason of her sex”, as well as those who dismiss female employees on the basis of pregnancy.