Women, not the men, shaping city - statistics

A report on the state of women that Mayor Tomas Osmeña delivered before the council yesterday afternoon indicated that women play key roles in education programs and even in employment. "Given this data, it seems that the major actors in our day to day services are women. With this changing landscape on the ground, we might have to review and rethink our target clients, strategies, and the kind of interventions," Osmeña said.

Teresa Fernandez, executive director of Lihok Pilipina, a non-government organization that coordinates with the city in addressing women's concerns, yesterday said there is a necessity for the city to know why males seemingly do not persevere as women do.

Fernandez said a bigger issue that needs to be looked into is the "multiple burden" that women in the city are experiencing considering the roles they play in the workplace and in their respective families as mothers to their children.

Statistics show that of 91,204 enrolled elementary students in 2005, 43,973 are female while only 47,231 are male. Of 46,710 students in the secondary level, 23,766 are female while only 22,944 are male. In early child development, data on pre-school showed that out of 9,198 children enrolled last year, 4,557 are female while 4,641 are male.

Of the 278 health workers of the city government, 57 are male while 22 are female. However, only three males of the 365 barangay health workers are assisting them.

Last year, the Department of Manpower Development and Placement placed 1,716 workers for placement, 983 of which were female and 333 were male. - Joeberth M. Ocao