Separate but equal?: The gendered nature of social capital in rural Philippine communities

Godquin, Marie; Quisumbing, Agnes R. 2008. Separate but equal? Journal of International Development Journal of International Development 20(1): 13-33

This paper explores the gender dimensions of group membership and social networks using a unique longitudinal data set from the rural Philippines. We investigate two types of social capital: membership in groups, or ‘formal’ social capital, and size of trust‐based networks or ‘informal’ social capital. Because men and women may have different propensities to invest in social capital, we analyse the determinants of group membership for men and women separately. We also disaggregate the analysis by type of group. The paper also examines the determinants of the density of social capital, proxied by the number of groups and the number of network members. Finally, it explores whether groups contribute to increased sizes of social networks. We find that men and women do not differ significantly in their probability of participating in groups or the number of groups they join. However, there are clear gender differences in the types of groups to which men and women belong. We also find that group membership does not, in general, increase network density. The size of one's informal networks is influenced by the location and migration decisions of one's sons and daughters, suggesting that sons and daughters play different roles in providing support to their households of origin.