Title
Act on Women's Equality in Development
Law
Republic Act No. 7192
Decision Date
Jan 12, 1992
The Women in Development and Nation Building Act is a Philippine law that promotes gender equality and ensures women's participation in development programs, providing them with equal rights and opportunities as men. The law allocates funds for women's programs, removes gender bias in regulations, and allows women to have equal capacity to act in contractual situations.

Designation and Role of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)

  • NEDA is primarily responsible for integrating women beneficiaries in foreign aid, grants, and loans.
  • Determines and recommends fund allocation for women-focused development activities.

NEDA’s Mandate in Collaboration with the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women

  • Ensures formulation and prioritization of rural development programs to provide income and employment opportunities for women.
  • Aims to reduce rural-to-urban or overseas migration by empowering women in rural areas.
  • Requires assessment of projects for their inclusivity and impact on women’s self-reliance and income.
  • Ensures women and women’s organizations actively participate in all stages of development programs.
  • Mandates collection and use of sex-disaggregated data in program design and evaluation.
  • Sets proportionate assistance targets for women beneficiaries based on their population or traditional participation, addressing obstacles where targets are unmet.
  • Supports activities critical to women’s self-reliance and development.

Women’s Capacity to Act and Enter into Contracts

  • Legal capacity of women of age is equal to men regardless of civil status.
  • Married women have equal capacity to married men in contractual matters.
  • Women enjoy equal rights to borrow, obtain loans, access agricultural credit, insurance contracts, and land reform programs.
  • Married women can apply for travel documents independently of their spouses.

Equal Membership Rights in Social and Civic Organizations

  • Women shall have equal access to membership in social, civic, recreational clubs, and committees.
  • Entitled to the same rights and privileges as their spouses if members of the same organization.

Admission and Equal Opportunity in Military and Police Schools

  • Women shall have equal opportunities for appointment, admission, training, graduation, and commissioning in armed forces and Philippine National Police schools.
  • Implementation to occur within four academic years, allowing physiological adjustments.

Voluntary Social Security Coverage for Full-Time Homemakers

  • Married persons managing household affairs may, with working spouse’s consent, obtain voluntary coverage under Pag-IBIG, GSIS, or SSS.
  • Coverage shall reflect half the salary of the working spouse; contributions deducted from that salary.
  • Respective agencies must issue implementing rules.

Implementation Guidelines

  • NEDA to issue necessary rules and regulations in consultation with relevant agencies within six months of the Act’s effectivity.

Reporting and Compliance

  • All government departments must submit compliance reports to Congress every six months after the Act’s effectivity date.

Legal Provisions on Invalidity

  • If any provision is declared unconstitutional or invalid, other unaffected provisions remain effective.

Repealing and Conflicting Laws

  • Repeals inconsistent provisions of the Civil Code, Family Code, and other laws, regulations, and orders.

Effectivity Clause

  • The Act and its provisions on women's rights take effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette or two newspapers of general circulation.

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