7853-23090-1-PB.pdf (2.16 MB)
Fertility, sex, and reproductive health dynamics after Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban North, Philippines
This exploratory research aims to contribute to the growing body of critical
literature investigating the 2013 Typhoon Yolanda disaster as a social
phenomenon. Anchored on a convergent mixed methods research design, we
gathered official government statistical data and primary data obtained through
qualitative interviews with 20 couple-informants in two permanent resettlement
sites in Tacloban North from 2016–2018. We also collected inputs from other
stakeholders, such as local government workers, public physicians, and community
and humanitarian workers, to explore the impacts of Yolanda on couples’ sexual
experiences and women’s reproductive health (RH). The first section examined
fertility rates in Tacloban City using demographic data, i.e., vital registry data
and official population census data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
for 1990–2019. Results indicate no evidence of a “fertility spike” or peculiar and
irregular fertility increase a few years after Typhoon Yolanda. The second and
third sections respectively analyzed the sexual experiences of couples and women’s
experiences related to reproductive healthcare products and services during and
after the typhoon in Tacloban North. We argue that understanding and addressing
the sources of challenges related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH)—along
with the other social, physical, psychological, and economic aspirations and
needs of resettled residents in Tacloban North—is the first step to improve their
overall standard of living. We encourage other social science researchers in and
beyond Eastern Visayas to expound on the narratives and analyses offered in this
exploratory paper to better document and interrogate the specific dynamics among
and beyond the identified themes of couples’ sexual experiences and women’s RH
in the communities affected by Typhoon Yolanda.