A transformative research on the gender dimensions in strengthening and sustaining TB Patient Support Groups in the Philippines

Background@#Tuberculosis (TB) Patient Support Groups (PSGs) are important in strengthening gender dimensions of TB response because gender-blind strategies aggravate the impact of gender inequalities in TB disease elimination. The study aimed to describe the patterns in issues and challenges faced by TB patients as women, men, or Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer/Intersex (LGBTQI); as well as the potentials and program support needs of TB PSGs using the sociological and demographical gender lenses. @*Objectives@#The objective of the study is twofold: to describe the issues, situations and challenges that are faced by the TB patients as women, men, or LGBTQI and; determine the challenges, potentials and program support needs of the TB PSGs using the gender lens. @*Methodology@#Through purposive and maximum variation sampling, a total of 35 respondents — 46% women, 31% men, 23% LGBTQI from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and National Capital Region – participated in the study. They completed questionnaires with closed and open-ended questions, and were interviewed for validation. Quantitative data described proportions of variables stratified according to gender. Qualitative data were analyzed through Grounded Theory approach of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding towards themes, theories and logic diagrams. Central to the research design was Transformative Mixed Methods to incorporate social justice and community participation. @*Results and Conclusion@#Unique gender themes in mental health and human capital, as well as gender-targeted case finding framework, were revealed. Moreover, social constructs on gender roles and catastrophic costs associated with Tuberculosis were perceived as major impediments to TB treatment completion. Results of this study may be used for development of policies and models for TB services with focus on gender, human rights and patient-centeredness.

Aging, Resilience and Vulnerability of Selected Faculty and Staff (55 years old and above) in an Academic Community in the Philippines

Introduction@#A demographic shift towards population aging is evident worldwide. This presents challenges particularly to low-income and middle-income countries like the Philippines. Understanding perceptions of aging, resilience, vulnerability, and gender identity will help prepare the health care system and social services in addressing the needs of the Filipino older population. @*Objective@#To describe gender identity, perceptions of active aging, successful aging, resilience, and vulnerability among faculty and staff (working, retired) in an academic community in the Philippines.@*Methods@#Survey and focus group discussions were conducted among working and retired faculty and staff aged 55 years old and above. @*Results, Analysis, and Discussion@#Almost all respondents had the same gender identity as their biological sex. There were differences in the respondents’ perceptions of active aging and successful aging and in their sources of strength and worries. Compared with retired respondents more working respondents believed that active aging meant being strong and physically active or being involved in sports. Female respondents thought that being socially active in their community and church was indicative of active aging. In contrast, male respondents equated being physically healthy with active aging. More working respondents and females (than retired and male respondents) thought that successful aging meant participating in community-based activities. In terms of vulnerability, differences were noted in the respondents’ sources of strength and worries. In general, retired respondents and female respondents said they got their strength from their grandchildren and from their religion. In contrast, working respondents and male respondents relied on their families for strength. It was also noteworthy that more retired respondents did not have any old agerelated worries compared with working respondents. Female respondents worried about their families while male respondents worried about death. Subjective nuances of being an older working or a retired employee in an academic community surfaced in the FGDs. The importance of context was evident in shaping the informants’ perceptions of active aging and frailty, and in their sources of worries and happiness. Overall, this paper adds to the body of knowledge about aging in the Philippines by studying a group of older Filipinos in an academic community. It showed that particular aspects of Filipino culture such as gender roles, religion, and close family ties permeate one’s life until he or she reaches old age. The results can help academic communities in policy formulation and program development to ensure that their older employees — throughout their life course — can adequately address vulnerability and resiliency needs to achieve active and successful aging.

Temporary international labor migration and quantum fertility: Evidence from the Philippines

@#<p><strong>Background:</strong> This paper examined the impact of temporary international labor migration on completed marital fertility using the 2010 Census of Population data from the Philippines. The case of the Philippines was investigated because it is uniquely a major source of male and female labor migrants to over 100 countries in the world.<br />Objectives: To identify the trends in male and female Filipino migrants to various destinations and to quantify the impact of international labor migration on completed marital fertility in the Philippines.<br /><strong>Methodology:</strong> A Two-stage Residual Inclusion Censored Poisson model was used to handle problems of endogeneity and observation censoring.<br /><strong>Results and Conclusions:</strong> The results provide strong evidence for the negative impact of international labor migration on completed fertility that can be similarly observed in married women with Overseas Filipino Worker spouses and married women who are Overseas Filipino Workers themselves. These women who are exposed to labor migration exhibit approximately 60 percent lower completed fertility compared to women not exposed to labor migration. The negative impact can be attributed to the long and cyclical spousal separations that disrupt couple childbearing and the assimilation and adaptation of the destination country's low fertility norms. The findings of the paper contribute to the sparse demographic literature on the effect of migration on fertility in sending regions and countries.</p>

Solo mothers' challenges and coping strategies: A phenomenological study in the city of Manila

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Filipino society's normative definition of a 'family' is one that is composed of a married heterosexual couple and their children. In such cultural set-up, both the mothers and fathers are expected to share the responsibility in raising their child or children. However, for solo mother households, this scenario is farfetched with solo mothers serving as the primary economic provider and caregiver.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> The study aimed to chart the challenges faced by solo mothers and identify the coping strategies they employed through understanding their lived experiences.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODOLOGY:</strong> The study used a phenomenological approach to magnify a better understanding of the phenomenon as experienced by solo mothers. The researcher conducted personal in-depth interviews with thirteen (13) solo mothers from the city of Manila. The inclusion criteria for the participants were: (a) solo mothers who raised their child alone, (b) at least 25 years of age, and (c) has at least one biological child who is 20 years old and below. The participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The interviews were carefully recorded, transcribed and critically analyzed. After careful thematic analysis of the data and with quantitative methods used, seven themes answering the study's objectives emerged.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The seven major themes recorded were: Absence of A Partner, Conflicting Responsibilities, Child Care, Social Support, Willing Endurance, Spiritual Guidance, and Self-Care. These themes were gathered from the respondents who on the averaged have been solo mothers for 10 years already. Solo mothers used both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, but the nature of the problem dictates the strategy to be employed. Solo mothers make sure to look after themselves to be able to take care of their children in the future. Given the reality of struggles of solo parenting, solo mothers as a sector must be provided with support programs and policies by the government to strengthen their stand on raising their children well.</p>