the spanish colonial period

The Spanish Colonial Era marked the loss of the indigenous culture and formed systems in the country In contrast to pre-colonial times, women faced immense discrimination of inequality due to the rule’s patriarchal standards on gender. For example, in terms of education women at that time, men and women were segregated furthermore, women were only given limited access to education with the exemption of domestic roles Although women ' s colleges were present, the mentioned schools were only catered to Spanish women and the elites With this in mind, the primary role of these educational institutions was to prepare women for motherhood

Additionally, religious catholic roles were more dominant. This from the saintly image of the Virgin Mary of the Catholic church, derived from Maria Clara or the epitome of the ideal Filipina, a woman who is selfless, domestic and submissive The character of Maria Clara exemplifies the representation of women during the Spanish Colonial era Unfortunately, with the emergence of the Maria Clara, women were stripped away of their rights. Purity culture became eminent, this further imposed patriarchal thinking. In civil society moreover, lawmakers imposed less sanctions in men than in women. Policies targeted women, as opposed to men Ultimately, this did not hinder women to perform beyond what is expected of societal norms With prominent figures such as, Gabriela Silang or the leader of the Ilocano indepence movement, Melchora Aquino who provided medical care for wounded revolutionists and Trinidad Tecson who established the Philippine Red Cross.

More than two eras have passed since then, although significant changes were made Unfortunately, the remnants of the conservative colonial period still lingers in this modern age For instance, there is greater inequality in the workforce, with men holding more leadership positions than women In an economical standpoint, women in the country earn only 78% of what men earn. This displays the evident disparity between men and women in the workforce. Furthermore, in politics only less than 5 women are currently in the senate with the majority of the positions being held by men Women remained underrepresented in government offices wherein, pivotal decisions were made and set for the country This is mainly due to the stigmatized notion of women being “emotional” and “weak” to hold such power, hence individuals tend to deviate from voting female representatives. Moreover, it did not help that gendered attacks and disinformation were used against women who run for politics.

Unfortunately, women are yet to be free from standard societal norms of an ideal woman, with the Dalagang Filipina evolving into “Neneng B ” or a term to describe a curvaceous Filipina with a pretty face and pleasing personality Women are more hypersexualized than before, as the concept of aesthetics and ideal bodies were now in the picture so did the societal pressure to maintain beauty. With the overall, culminating underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women after many years, it would be expected that significant changes can be observed Although the establishment of GABRIELA (2000) paved the way for a more liberal movement and women’s rights in the contemporary age Unfortunately, patriarchal values still dominate the country and continue to do so Now, with the current generation young Filipinas are now pioneering a feminist revolution with their own terms with movements such as #HijaAko. This new wave of Feminism aims to eradicate gendered disinformation through the collective experiences of young women around the country