Pinays more brainy than their male counterparts

MANILA, Philippines - Besides being expected to outlive their male counterparts, Filipino women are also considered to have more reading and writing skills, a government report said on Tuesday. Filipino women are expected to live for 71.6 years, higher than Filipino men's 66.1 year life expectancy, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said. Filipino women also secured higher functional literacy rates, indicating that 86.3 percent of them have rudimentary reading and writing skills. The current level is higher than men’s functional literacy rate at 81.9 percent, the NSCB’s report entitled Updates on Women and Men in the Philippines said. Moreover, 94.3 percent of Filipino women – which comprise 45.9 million of the total population – have simple literacy, compared to 92.6 percent of Filipino men. While men prefer to take up engineering and technology courses in college, majority of women chose medical and allied programs. As for health and nutrition, Filipino men generally fared better than the women. The report also said that 5.7 percent of Filipino women were considered obese, compared to three percent of men, which comprise 46.4 million of the total population. Moreover, 14.2 percent of women were also considered underweight, more than 10.6 percent of men. Despite these figures, the the NSCB also said that Filipino females usually received better medical care than men. Some 71.3 percent of Filipino women received vaccinations between 12 months and 23 months, against men's 68.4 percent. More boys also die during infancy at 35 per 1,000 live births, compared to 25 girls. Mortality rate among boys under five years old were also higher at 48 per live birth against girls' 34. Surprisingly, however, more males have been served by the Department of Social Welfare and Development at 47,136 against 33,480 women. Although males had higher labor force participation rate at 78.9 percent against females' 48.6 percent, the average annual income of household headed by a man was only at P167,013 against those headed by a woman at P197, 629. The elective positions in the Philippines remain men's territory as they occupy 76.8 percent of these posts, against 23.2 percent occupied by women. The NSCB also noted that 33.2 percent of Filipino males would approve of a woman having an abortion against four percent of females. However, more Filipino women would support a bill to legalize divorce in the Philippines with 40.2 percent against 8.4 percent of men. Still, Filipino women remained conservative with only 10.8 percent of Filipino women agreeing for unmarried people to live together even if they have no plans of marrying against 33.2 percent of men. More men also had premarital sex, with 31.2 percent of them against 15.9 percent of women. - GMANews.TV