Sari-sari stores drive women’s empowerment in the Philippines – study

Sari-sari stores, locally known as neighborhood mom-and-pop shops, are not just a primary source of daily essentials for around 94% of Filipinos but a vital source of empowerment among women entrepreneurs.

This is the finding of a study published by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in collaboration with tech start-up Packworks. The study, titled “Gender, Microentrepreneurship, Human Flourishing: Exploring the Experiences of Women Sari-sari Store Owners toward Inclusive Growth,” found that women store owners experience significant psychological and social empowerment despite the many challenges they face.

According to the study, women owners take pride in being considered “entrepreneurs” and “business owners,” providing them a sense of independence, confidence, and fulfillment from managing their micro-retail businesses. Survey participants also expressed that managing and operating sari-sari stores gives them a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.

“I can buy things for myself, my kid, and my family now… I am not just a housewife anymore,” one participant in the study said. “Because of my store, I am now busy with other things apart from taking care of my family. I feel more fulfilled.”

The study also demonstrates that women store owners achieve social empowerment by earning higher social status. This is notably observed in their customers addressing them with terms of respect like ‘ma’am’ or ‘boss,’ a cultural marker of their elevated position within the community. 

Furthermore, women store owners who exhibited characteristics of a “transformational leader” or qualities such as strong empathy, care, and collaboration with the community reported high levels of well-being, empowerment, optimism, and resilience. By becoming more independent and confident, women store owners were able to take on important roles within their communities.

The psychological empowerment and individual well-being the women owners experienced were evidenced by their positive results on happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and sense of agency and autonomy.

“This research underscores the resilience and transformative power of women sari-preneurs in the Philippines. They are the heart of their communities, and by supporting them, we are strengthening the social fabric of the nation,” said Packworks CEO Bing Tan. “At Packworks, we are driven by our mission to provide advanced business tools and services that allow these women to not only succeed in business but also to become leaders and change-makers within their communities,” he added. 

The study surveyed hundreds of female sari-sari store owners in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Region IV-A (CALABARZON) between May and June 2024. The majority of those surveyed (90%) are married with dependents, while smaller percentages are single (7%), and the remaining as separated or widowed (3%). Additionally, 78% of the respondents contribute to their household income, 16% serve as breadwinners, and 6% are single mothers.

“This reinforces our previous findings, which revealed that 75% of sari-sari stores are owned by women. Through our business intelligence tool Sari IQ, we are able to highlight that Filipinas hold significant control over the local economy through these micro-retail enterprises,” said Packworks Lead Data Scientist Joanne Diaz.

A Filipino startup that provides a business-to-business (B2B) open platform to sari-sari stores, Packworks empowers its network of over 300,000 sari-sari stores nationwide by digitizing their daily operations with tools for pricing, inventory management, and sales tracking while also providing access to working capital, product promotions, and rewards.  

Learn more about how Packworks transforms grassroots retail and empowers sari-sari store owners across the Philippines by visiting http://packworks.io/.