Women in Philippine History (Final

Women in Philippine History
Presented By: Jumli, Ahmader T.

BSIE-3B
INTRODUCTION
 The history of women in the Philippines is a rich and multifaceted story that spans centuries and
reflects the interplay of indigenous, colonial, and modern influences. One characteristic of
Philippine history and society that has been constant at various periods since the Spanish
colonization was gender inequality.
Gender Equality
 since the colonization of the country by Europeans, patriarchy

became the norm. Patriarchy is a social system where men hold
more power compared to women. This system has various
manifestations in different aspects of society and culture affected
important institutions like family, religion, government,
education and mass media. A simple review of various textbooks on
Philippine History would reveal the marginal treatment given to women
in the historical narrative. One possible reason for the systemic
sidelining of women in history was the fact that history has been mostly
written and recorded by men.
Gender Egalitarianism
 attitudes toward gender equality, and define gender

egalitarianism as a belief that men and women should attain a
certain degree of equality within both public and private realms
of society, and that women's status should not depend on their
reproductive behavior.
 The ancient societies were generally described as gender
egalitarian. Men and women were both recognized as equally
valuable members of the society that were tasked to perform
different but equally indispensable tasks. Before the arrival of the
Spaniards, the role of the spiritual leaders was relegated to the
babaylan(Visayan) or catalonan(Tagalog).
The Babaylan
 The "babaylan" is a traditional healer, sage, and spiritual leader

in pre-colonial Filipino societies. The term "babaylan" comes
from the Visayan languages, but similar roles existed across
various indigenous cultures in the Philippines under different
names, such as "katalonan" among the Tagalogs and "maaram"
among the Bicolanos.
 The babaylan served an essential role in multiple facets of the
ancient Philippine society. Aside from being the spiritual leader,
who performs significant and sacred rituals, and communicates
with deities and the community’s dead ancestors, the babaylan
was also perceived as the community’s healer.
16th Century
 Upon the arrival of the Spaniards in the archipelago in the
sixteenth century, the place of the woman and, consequently, of
the babylan would be altered. The catholic faith imported to the
archipelago and imposed on the native population carried with it
an implicit ideology that was aimed at repressing women’s
bodies and limiting the sphere of her activity in the domestic
sphere or the household.
 The babaylan, who may be a woman or man who looks like a
woman, was, thus, displaced from the pedestal of social, cultural,
spiritual, and economic importance where she used to be
designated. She was painted as the heathen and satanic. Similar
to the way that female healers were persecuted in the Medieval
Europe as witches, the babaylan was accused of being
mangkukulam or manggagaway.
 Similar to how the church policed the Catholic women in
Medieval Europe, the native women’s bodies were also
repressed. This repression manifested in how women were
expected to cover their legs and feet with tapis and saya,
and their upper bodies with multilayered upper garments
consisted of bodice or camisa and the outer panuelo.
 The tapis worn by the Cordilleran women of Northern
Luzon, known locally as the alampay, are the most
prominent surviving example.
 Good women were the ones who devoted themselves to
prayers and the church. They were exprected to sarcifice
for their husbads and children. They were not supposed to
be loud; instead, they should demonstrate the primness at
all times. Women were expected to be docile, submissive,
and virginal.
Maria Clara
 Jose Rizal’s female protagonist in his novel, Maria Clara, is an
essential embodiment of and “ideal” women during the Spanish
period. She was portayed as frail, meek, and prudish. She was
someone who fainted at the slightest provocation and ought to be
protected by everyone around her.
 This image of an ideal Filipino woman would persist years after
the Spanish colonization. Women were still expected to be
limited in the domestic sphere. Despite the universal public
instruction implemented by the Americans, the expectations for
women to be subordinate to men remained unchanged.
Western Style Democracy
 Indeed, it would take decades before women were allowed to vote and run for public office despite the
“commitment” of male politicians to Western-style democracy. Political equality did not apply to women until
1937. Cultural assimilation was also apparent and most successful in how the standards of beauty imposed on
Filipino women were patronized.
 Hollywood and exposure to Western media and popular culture created the idead that white is beautiful. Filipino
were made to that their and beautiful brown complexion and Filipino features were ugly compared to the lighter
skin of Caucasion women and mestiza features. Such an idea persists until the present. While the Catholic
conservatism of the past centuries loosened in terms of policing women’s bodies in the American period, women
continued to enjoyed fewer opportunities and expected to carry the heavier burden in the domestic sphere.
World War II
 In times of strife and war, as in World War II, women suffered
differently and more severely, as they were subjected not only
to violence, hunger, and death, but also to sexual abuse. These
comfort women became victims of sexual slavery in Japanese
comfort stations. Most of them chose to keep quiet for
decades because of the shame and guilt that they feel about
being raped and abused. Seven decades since the war ended,
these women, most of them already dead, are yet to be given
justice. A lot of these would change in the following decades
as feminist and gender equality discourses flourished.
Summary
 Overall, the history of women in the Philippines is characterized by resilience, leadership, and contributions to
various aspects of society, despite facing challenges and constraints imposed by colonialism and patriarchal
norms. the history of women in the Philippines reflects a complex interplay of tradition, colonialism, and
activism, with women continuously challenging and reshaping their roles in society.

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Women in Philippine History (Final

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Women in Philippine History

Presented By: Jumli, Ahmader T.

 since the colonization of the country by Europeans, patriarchy

 attitudes toward gender equality, and define gender

 The "babaylan" is a traditional healer, sage, and spiritual leader

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