Women's rights in the Philippines

The position of the Philippines on women's rights is advanced compared to many other nations. Over the past century, noticeable developments have been made which have led to greater endorsement and protection of these rights. The progression towards gender equality came about through women's movements, increased numbers of women political representatives, increased numbers of educated women, greater specificity on women's issues instituted under legislation, and the focused application of those laws. In recent years, the Filipino government has addressed the rights of women under a multitude of legislative schemes including; workplace discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and human trafficking.

The Philippines has one of the smallest rates of gender disparity in the world. In the Global Gender Gap Index 2015, the Philippines ranked 7th out of 145 countries for gender equality. The Philippines ranks higher than any other Asia-Pacific country. Filipino women are now more multifaceted than ever, and play a plethora of different roles in society. These roles range between the traditional position of mother, looking after children and household, to positions in the political arena.

Despite the great progress and achievements for women's rights the Philippines has garnered so far, the country is still in need of further development. There exists a discrepancy between women who have politically, academically and financially excelled, compared to women who are domestically abused, financially unstable and who are exploited through prostitution and migrant work.

The women's suffrage movement in the Philippines was one of the first, major occasions on which women grouped together politically. It was also one of the first women's rights movements, and endeavored to attain the right for women to vote and run for office. Many Filipino men were opposed to the idea, and held fast to the traditional view that a woman's place was cooking, cleaning and child rearing in the home. The males of this perspective were primarily concerned that the familial dynamic would destabilize if women were to formally step outside their customary role.

However, not all Filipino men were opposed to the movement. Congressman Filemon Sotto of Cebu filed the first women's suffrage bill at the 1907 Philippine Assembly. From there on, various suffrage bills were sponsored by a number of prominent men in society including; Assemblyman Melecio Severino of Negros Occidental in 1912, Mariano Cuenco of Cebu in 1916, and various assemblymen from Bulacan, Laguna and Tomas Luna in 1918. None of these bills succeeded. It was not until 1936 that the climate for women's suffrage shifted propitiously for women.

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Wikipedia