More Pinoy men but women live longer, better educated - NSCB

The country’s population – which is fast approaching 90 million – will include more men than women this year, although women are seen to have the edge in literacy and are expected to live longer, government statisticians said. In a fact sheet on the Philippine population posted on its website, the National Statistical Coordination Board said there will be 44.6 million men and 44.1 million women. It pegged life expectancy for Filipino women at 71.6 years, compared to 66.1 years for men. Up to 86.3 percent of women are also said to be “functionally literate", noticeably more than the 81.9 percent of men. Also, 94.3 percent of women possess simple literacy while only 92.6 percent of men do. 5.5 percent of women also obtain college and higher education diplomas while only 3.9 percent of men do. The NCSB said women also generally opt for health-related programs awhile more men enroll in engineering- and technology-related courses. Women are also seen to be more present in the wholesale and retail trade while more men engage in agriculture and fishing. The top destinations for Filipino women who work overseas are Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, which is also where the greatest number of male workers go. Meanwhile, there are more twice as many men at 960,298 compared to women, at 431,222, who hold certificates of land ownership. In health and nutrition, the NSCB also noted that 5.7 percent of women are obese compared to only 3 percent of men. On the other hand, more women are underweight at 14.2 percent, compared to 10.6 percent of men. -Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV