Philippines

House of Representatives

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
317
Women
Click for historical data

Speaker

No information available

Secretary general

No information available

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Women and Gender equality Committee Gender equality Geraldine Batista Roman Female 57
Foreign Affairs Committee Foreign affairs Marie Rachel J. Arenas Female 53
Public Accounts Committee Finance Yedda Marie K. Romualdez Female 51

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2022-07)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 14 28 22 22 77 46 13 3 0 225
Female 0 6 15 13 12 27 9 4 0 0 86
Totals per age interval 0 20 43 35 34 104 55 17 3 0 311
Total <= 45: 98 Total >= 46: 213
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
6.4% 4.5% 1.9%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
20.3% 14% 6.8%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
31.5% 21% 10.9%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes: Voluntary political party quotas.

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1941

Notes: 1941: This is the situation during the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic; source for total/chamber type and other details is Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election%2C_1941; after WWII and international recognition of the Philippines, 1 woman in parliament was elected in April 1946 out of 99 Lower House members and another one was elected in November 1947 out of 8 Upper House members

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
2018

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1946
Women’s right to vote
1937
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under US administration, women were granted the right to vote on 30 April 1937 by the Plebiscite Law, Commonwealth Act No. 34. This right was confirmed at independence.

Women's right to stand for election
1937
Restricted or universal
No information available

Notes: Prior to independence, under US administration, women were granted the right to vote on 30 April 1937 by the Plebiscite Law, Commonwealth Act No. 34. This right was confirmed at independence.

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No