Thammasat University students interested in ASEAN studies, the Philippines, gender studies, history, sociology, anthropology, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 29 August Zoom webinar on Influence, Pageantry, and Suffrage: Perspectives on Filipino Women.
The event, on Thursday, 29 August 2024 at 9am Bangkok time, is presented by ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
The TU Library collection includes several books about different aspects of the lives of Filipino women.
Students are welcome to register for the event at this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vJ5tA5KoQx-8o8dzGH4LpQ#/registration
The event website explains:
About the Webinar
As Filipino women’s representations in history and media have always been analyzed through the male perspective, there is a need for a more nuanced examination of Filipino women’s multifaceted roles and contributions throughout history and in contemporary society. This webinar provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolving influence of Filipino women in various social, political, and cultural arenas.
This webinar scrutinizes the varying portrayals of women in media, beauty, and politics in the Philippines. In particular, the speakers will examine the rhetoric of Filipina suffragists in the early 20th century through their public addresses such as speeches, essays, and articles published in women’s magazines. Other themes in the webinar include the historical and cultural significance of pageantry in Filipino society and how media spectacles that serve as contested sites where women’s roles in Philippine society are crafted and recrafted. Finally, the webinar looks at how Filipina Influencers relate to the evolution of the concept of ideal motherhood in the age of social media.
About the Speakers
Dr. Mary Dorothy dL. Jose is Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Manila. […]
Dr. Gene S. Navera is Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer at Centre for English Language Communication and a Fellow at the Tembusu College in the University Town, NUS. […]
Dr. Veronica L. Gregorio is Lecturer at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. […]
Last year, on the website of the Center for Women’s Resources, a Filipino organization, a report was posted,
Filipino women mired in gender equality and human rights setbacks despite CEDAW commitment – women’s think tank
Forty year-old research institution Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) reports worsening gender inequality and human rights violations against Filipino women, an alarming lack of commitment of the PH government to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), during 9th periodic review for the Philippines this October.
Neoliberal development policies of liberalization, privatization, and deregulation, along with state repression, resulted in the patterns of violations encroaching upon women’s economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and discrimination, adding to the difficulties endured by Filipino women.
Economic insecurity, joblessness, and abuse of workers’ rights
According to the May 2023 Labor Force Survey, over 21.14 million Filipino women are “economically insecure”. This includes the unemployed (996,000), those lacking work and income or underemployed (1.899 million), and those outside the labor force (18.248 million).
The number of unemployed women doubled during the pandemic, from 852,000 in 2019 to 1.69 million in 2020. Many women lost their jobs and livelihoods, particularly in sectors that shuttered during lockdowns. By December 2022, an estimated 2.2 million individuals were unemployed, with 1.06 million being women.
Gender wage inequality remains a pressing issue, with women consistently earning less than men. The gender pay gap across occupations ranges from 4% to 44%, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). In a case study by CWR in Northern Luzon provinces, women farm workers receive 28.57% lower wages than men, earning $5.45 compared to men’s $7.25. In other rural communities, women earn just $2.72 for a day’s work.
Due to the lack of viable jobs in the country, many Filipino women are forced to go abroad as migrant workers in low-skilled, low-wage, insecure jobs. In 2019, there were 1.23 million overseas Filipino women workers, 24% more than men.
Abuse against migrant workers also persists. In 2020, the Middle East recorded 4,302 cases of OFW abuse. There were also 23,714 contract violations reported, including passport confiscation and the failure to provide domestic workers with the protections outlined in labor codes and labor protection laws. […]
Lack of access to judicial and legal processes
Women also continue to suffer from the slow and ineffective justice system. From July 2016 to December 2022, there were 66 women victims of extrajudicial killings, many of whom are women human rights defenders. There are also cases of enforced disappearances and abductions believed to be detained against their will in military camps and facilities.
As of June 2022, there were 162 women political prisoners and 14,073 women deprived of liberty (WDLs). In the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), 67% of the detained women are jobless and/or housewives/housekeepers or are in the informal sector with meager income and lacking social protection, and mainly commit crimes closely linked to poverty. These women continue to suffer from congestion and poor living conditions in jail facilities.
Violation of women’s right to political participation
Women’s meaningful participation in public life is vital in ensuring that their concerns and perspectives are integrated into decisions and policy-making processes. Concerningly, instances of harassment against women’s representation persist. Gabriela Women’s Party, the sole women’s political party and sectoral representation in the Philippine Congress, faces ongoing disqualification cases filed by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) with the Commission on Elections.
Attacks against women human rights defenders and civil society
Women human rights defenders who are at the forefront of the fight for land, jobs, wages, public services, and against extractivist projects continue to face direct attacks from state agents. From July 2016 to December 2022, there were 66 women victims of extrajudicial killings. This includes human rights worker Elisa Badayos, killed in 2017; Zara Alvarez, a human rights advocate, educator, paralegal, and health activist killed in 2020; and Leonila Pesadilla, an active member of the Compostela Farmers’ Association and has been vocal in their opposition to major mining projects in their community. […]
The website of the Borgen Project, an American nonprofit organization that addresses poverty and hunger, added the following observations:
Barriers to Workforce Participation
A 2021 World Bank report on women’s economic empowerment explores the barriers to women’s participation in the Philippines’ labor force, including societal norms and beliefs.
The report’s survey on women’s work and childcare reveals that about 75% of Filipino males and 80% of Filipino women believe that men should be the breadwinners and women should bear the responsibility of caretaking and household chores. Further, more than 70% of men and 76% of women believe that a mother’s employment negatively impacts “the emotional and psychosocial development skills of a preschool child.” The World Bank has made policy recommendations to increase women’s participation in the labor force. This includes implementing “alternatives to child-care in the home” programs and promoting flexible work structures, such as remote work and e-commerce platforms. […]
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)