ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the lives and household responsibilities of women in the IT-BPO industry in the Philippines. The growth of the industry has created possibilities for university-educated women in adversity to upgrade their lives, enhance their autonomy, and achieve upward mobility. Through online interviews with female workers/former workers in IT-BPOs in Metropolitan Manila, the author explores their gendered contribution and responsibility in households both prepandemic and during the pandemic, while paying attention to differences in both according to life stage. This study suggests the possibility that young female IT-BPO workers from low-income households, who tend to be economically responsible for their families, are more vulnerable to the pandemic. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.