It's 2026. Why the hell are we still asking these questions, SWS?

SWS’s face-to-face survey with 1,200 Filipino adults asked whether they agreed with statements like, ‘A man's job is to earn money; a woman's job is to look after home and family’ and ‘A job is all right, but what most women really want is a home and children’.

Really, in 2026???

Nine years later and we're STILL editing this meme ANUNA

The numbers in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) release on the “Opinion on the Role of Women in Family Life in the Philippines” may come across as ‘new’—after all, the fourth quarter 2025 Social Weather Survey was conducted just last November and the results of these specific survey questions released just this week.

But beyond the numbers, something just seems off. One look at the survey items makes it clear: it’s as if the questions are stuck in another era entirely.

Perhaps this is the only way to track sentiment over the decades: Ask the same questions at various points of the timeline and check for the shift in responses. But it also begs the question: Is there still value in measuring 2026 attitudes using outdated 1990s language?

Consider the following observations:

1. The statements used in the survey are phrased as if they were universal truths: “A man’s job is to earn money; a woman’s job is to look after the home and family.” “A pre-school child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works.” Instead of being neutral prompts that invite more discerning answers, they carry generational assumptions baked into the language itself. Given that these were asked in face‑to‑face interviews, Filipinos who prize a culture that values politeness and avoids confrontation would tend to be agreeable, especially when presented with statements that sound like established norms. Look this up: acquiescence bias.

2. The questions also put women’s roles ALONE under close scrutiny, while treating men’s roles as granted and beyond examination. Women’s aspirations are interrogated (“what women really want is a home and children”) whereas men’s aspirations are simply assumed.

3. No questions included to reflect a more complete picture of the Filipino family of today—that which includes the modern family man’s concerns about being more involved caregivers, or the inherent pressure felt by breadwinners.

4. Instead, the survey just puts the spotlight on women, their decisions, and their perceived duties. Women are the only ones whose roles are seen as negotiable — or whose choices are considered the source of family strain.

To SWS’s credit, they also mention that comparative data came from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) from 1994 to 2021. Keeping the wording consistent may be technically required, but at what cost?

The truth is, the language now feels outdated relative to how families actually operate. Most households today require two breadwinners to keep the family afloat. Filipino women have entered the workforce in massive numbers, while Filipino fathers are more hands-on than ever. Yet the survey items assume a world where responsibilities remain locked in some old template.

So yes, the results tell us something about Filipino attitudes today — but they also tell us something about the limitations of the questions themselves. If we want to understand how families are truly evolving, we might also need to start updating our questions if we want to get updated answers.

Some additional questions for consideration (?)

Given the chance to update this tool, would we be open to considering putting any of these contemporary statements reflecting today's realities up for agreement or disagreement?

• "Most families today need both parents to work in order to meet financial needs."

• "The partner who works less hours should naturally take more responsibility at home, regardless of gender."

• "The government should invest in daycare to support working parents."

• "Employers should provide flexible working arrangements for parents, regardless of gender."

• "Personal fulfillment for women and men should not be limited by traditional gender expectations."

  
  

Just some thoughts, given that we’re already here ‘celebrating’.