Sex and Gender in The Philippine Society

SEX AND GENDER IN
PHILIPPINE SOCIETY
A Discussion of Issues on the Relations Between Women and Men
Prayer
Our Father in Heaven, we ask you to
give us wisdom and guidance in all our
studies. Help us to make decisions
that align with your word and bring
glory to your name. Give us clarity so
that we don’t fall into the traps of
peer pressure. Give us insight on how
to manage crucial aspects of our life
and teach us to listen. In the mighty
name of Jesus, Amen.
CHAPTER I: SEX AND
GENDER
Gender Subordination
• Gender Subordination and the Economic System
• Gender Subordination and the Political System
• Gender Subordination and Sexuality
• Gender Subordination and Personhood
Gender has implications for equality between
women and men in society. Women were perceived
as “naturally” inferior to men, and that was the end
of the discussion.
By contrast, modern-day apologists of
gender, hard put to defend a male-female
dichotomy in the harsh light of egalitarian
ideologies, deny these implications, claiming that
gender differences do not make for inequality at all.
Their favorite slogan is that women and men are
“equal but different”- or, put another way; that
males and females have “complementary” roles on
human society.
According to this line of apology, society gives
us as much importance to feminine roles, qualities and
skills as it does to the masculine – and therefore no one
need complain; indeed, to try to eradicate the
differences would destroy the very fabric to society. A
well-known sociologist of the early 20th century even
went so far as to claim that the specialization of labor
between the sexes is mark of advanced civilization. A
more complicated line of gender apologetics, prevalent
among Filipino males (and some females), is that these
differences make for female superiority - that Filipino
society is a matriarchy in which Filipino women have
the best of the situation.
Gender limits the potential of both men and women.
This limitation means more than mere gender
discrimination: the gender system supports and interacts
with other social systems which keep most people, women
and men, from achieving full and dignified lives. However,
in most gender systems, including that in dominant
Philippine society, women suffer more problems and
limitations than men; they are, in Simone de Beuvoir’s
words, “the second sex”. “Gender subordination” is the
phrase which describe the secondary position of women
vis-à-vis men in society. “Male dominance”, on the other
hand, describes the position of men.
and the Economic System
The production-reproduction divide is the sexual
division of labor that prevails within the capital system.
Male - as heads of household are the “breadwinners”
Women – as the “homemakers”, responsible for

housework and the daily reproduction of laborers,
husbands and children.
and the Economic System
It is often the case, however, that wages of
breadwinners are insufficient so that women must do paid
work as well. But women’s responsibility for the home
defined her work outside it. Women’s homemaker role,
together with a gender ideology of sex attributes, meant that
women were assigned to low level, low skilled, low
productivity and low paid.
and the Political System
Male dominance in grassroots and formal politics
has already been pointed out. Because the gender system
prescribes different roles for men and women, women have
problems and concerns which men do not experience, and
therefore do not voice or act upon (childcare, social
services, economic independence, and equal access to
social institutions). Few elite women who make it to
positions to influence in the formal political system do not
adequately represent the interests of most women. They are
shielded from many unpleasant aspects of the sex-gender
system by the power of their social class and by the ability
to purchase the services of working-class women.
Gender Subordination and
the Political System
The state, used by particular groups in the society to
maintain themselves in power, uses gender to support its
objectives or thwart those of other groups. For instance, the
Marcos administration in the early 1970’s employed the
image of the charming, attractive, and hospital Filipino
woman to promote one of the pillars of its economic
program – Philippine tourism – and not incidentally, the
myth of a people happy with benevolent dictatorship. The
military has been known to use the rape and sexual torture
of female dissenters as a warning to group seeking social
change.
Sexuality
Rape is an extreme illustration of the subordination
of women’s sexuality. Women are not just men’s sexual and
reproductive property; they are also legitimate targets of
sexual aggression. While society officially condemns rape,
its victims are perceived as being in some way to blame for
it: because their dress and manner “asked for it”, because
they were engaged in gender-inappropriate activities, such
as travelling at night or agitating for political change; or
simply because they were young, or beautiful, or women. In
many cultures, rape is excused as an excess of male lust
which must fine release.
and Sexuality
Rape and its milder cousin, sexual harassment, are
expressions of male control over female sexuality. Sexual
relationships is the double standard of morality that
condones male promiscuity while demanding female
chastity. This double standard, is often excused by women
themselves as a natural law – but many other women
experience it as a painful form of personal injustice.
Personhood
The gender system encourages the development of
different personality traits for women and men. This stunts
the personal growth for both sexes, but because the traits
developed by men are those on which society places
greater value, women are subordinate in this areas as well.
A. Women: Dutiful and dependent
From childhood, women are encouraged to think of
a permanent and exclusive intimacy with a man, rather than
creative and meaningful work, as their primary goal in life.
For many single women, a job is a temporary phase, a
period of waiting for the real job of marriage and a family.
A large part of many women’s self-image is shaped by their
ability to attract men, as well as by the type of men they
attract.
Once a woman has committed herself to a
relationship with a man, keeping him becomes a
preoccupation, even at great personal cost. This is reflected
by the stereotypes of the long-suffering wife or girlfriend in
radio and tv dramas.
Filipino girls are trained at a very young age to be
responsible for the home and their younger siblings. As wives
and mothers, they often subsume their own personal needs to
the needs of the family. This is not by itself unhealthy,
constant denial or neglect of one’s own needs and aspirations
can lead to mental and even physical stress. At the same time,
the bondage to household work prevents women from
developing their full potential for contributing to the
development of the society.
Though Filipino women are quite assertive to other
oriental cultures, assertiveness is not a prized feminine trait.
And they are less ready to speak out or do anything to call
attention to themselves. Women tend to leave the speaking
and decisions to men. A woman who holds her own with men
might occasionally gain respect, but she also risks becoming
the object of hostility and unkind gossips
The lack of bonding between women, the absence of
a sense of common cause, is perhaps the greatest obstacle
to their liberation from gender subordination. A major
reason for women’s inability to see themselves as a social
sector, and their problems as social problems is gender
ideology. This not only teaches women to accept their
situation as natural, it also convinces them that they would
not want to have it any other way. Some anthropologists
speak of “patriarchal bargain” in which women voluntarily
subordinate themselves to men for the sake of protection
and security.
B. Men: Dependent Too
Men are raised to think of their lives in terms of self-
fulfillment rather than relationships. Self-fulfillment is
achieved though creative work or through the pursuit of
pleasure. While a relationship with a women is important to
the Filipino male, and a source of his self-image, he is
better able to retain his autonomy from the relationship.
This emphasis on self-fulfillment, however, has its
unhealthy consequences,. Unlike their sisters, most Filipino
boys do not have to worry about household chores or the
care of siblings.. This seems to be one reason Filipino men
are often less responsible.
B. Men: Dependent Too
The emphasis on developing emotional control also
makes men less able than women to express affection,
weakness or fear. This suppression can result mental stress.
Another mental stress is the inability to meet unrealistic
social expectations.
Men are better-prepared than women for decision
making and participation in public life; leadership and a
public role are, after all, part of the definition of masculinity.
But the unacknowledged support of women’s work in the
household and sometimes, in the public sphere as well.
Deprived of this support, their success in public life suffers
considerably.
- End of Discussion -
Evaluation:
1-4. What are the Subtopics discussed under the topic
“Gender Subordination”.
5. Male as heads of household are the “________”.
6. Women as the “_________”, responsible for
housework and the daily reproduction of laborers,
husbands and children.
7. ____ is an extreme illustration of the subordination of
women’s sexuality.
8. _________is the double standard of morality that
condones male promiscuity while demanding female
chastity.
9. In which women voluntarily subordinate themselves to
men for the sake of protection and security.
10. They are quite assertive to other oriental cultures,
assertiveness is not a prized feminine trait
Word Pool:
Word Pool for numbers 5-10.
• Rape
• Breadwinners
• Patriarchal Bargain
• Sexual relationships
• Homemakers
• Filipino women

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SEX AND GENDER IN

Male - as heads of household are the “breadwinners”

Women – as the “homemakers”, responsible for

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