Seeking Self-Worth, Fighting Boredom: Why Women Choose to Work in Catbalogan, Samar, Philippines.     The island province of Samar is the third largest in the Philippines. Since 1996, Samar has been classified as a third class province.  The newly established City of Catbalogan is one of the only two cities categorized as first class.  The rest of the twenty-four municipalities are either classified as fifth or sixth class.  Also, for many years, the country’s National Economic Development Authority has listed the province as one of the poorest in the country.   Catbalogan City poses great interest because it is considered as the wealthiest place in one of the poorest regions in the Philippines. 

This study presents the factors and reasons that affect the women of Catbalogan before joining the labor force.  Findings revealed that the female labor force participation rate of Catbalogan, Samar is high at almost eighty percent vis-à-vis the national rate of just fifty percent.  Subsequently, both employed and unemployed women perceived that their gender, age, civil status, and earnings of their husband and extended family members are insignificant factors in seeking employment. On the other hand, educational attainment, household status, and expected salary are considered very important factors. The women of Catbalogan sought employment primarily because they want to realize their self-worth; this is followed by family-related reasons and boredom.  The discouraged workers left the labor force mainly because of hesitation, lack of motivation, failure on job-seeking activities and family reasons.

Keywords:  Labor Force Participation, Women, Catbalogan, Samar