Introduction

Women from the Philippines colloquially referred to as Pinays or Filipinas, on first

impressions, would generally be shy, reserved and extremely polite. But as you get to
know them more in your conversations, you will see that they possess a great deal of
qualities most nationalities find intriguing and somewhat attractive.

Affirmative

Women from yesterday are not marterialistics . Not like this day they are so materialistics
especially to beauty product & gadgets.

Filipina from past year is conservative; they dress up their whole body. But in this era
they are so liberated, it’s look like nothing just in their body.

Josefa Llanes Escoda

- was a well-known Filipino advocate of women's right of suffrage and founder
of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

Marcela M. Agoncillo
- She is called the "Mother of the Philippine Flag."

Gliceria Marella Villavicencio

- Was known as an illustrious Filipina who contributed her fortune, time, efforts,
intelligence, and leadership to the struggle for freedom during the Philippine
Revolution.

María Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang

- Gabriela Silang, was the first Filipino woman to lead a revolt during the
Spanish colonization of the Philippines. An active member of the insurgent
force of Diego Silang, her husband, she led the group for four months after his
death before she was captured and executed.

Ignacia del Espíritu Santo

- was the founder of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) that made her the
first Filipina religious organizer.

Leona Florentino

- was a celebrated Filipino poet in the Spanish and Ilocano languages. She was the
first Filipina Poet.
Margarita Roxas de Ayala

- was the one of the first philanthropists, one of the greatest Philippine
businesswomen of all time. and one of the greatest businessmen and Filipino exponents
of the Spanish colonial era.

edit] Rights and privileges

A typical Batalan (washing area) where women and their children take a bath.

Philippine precolonial society was egalitarian in many aspects, with women enjoying the
same privileges, rights, and opportunities as did men.

[edit] Family life

Unlike in some other cultures where the birth of a girl was seen as less auspicious if not
downright undesirable, a baby girl was as welcome as a boy. When she was of marrying
age, a dowry would be given to her family by the groom as compensation for her family's
loss –- an amount agreed upon according to their means. The groom would give presents
for the bride's family, and would even do some services (called paninilbihan) for a given
period. The bride did not lose her name after marriage. Among the Tagalogs, if a woman
was from a distinguished family, her husband usually took her name. For instance, the
man would be referred to as, “the husband of Trining” or “the husband of Nita.”

Divorce was allowed and was usually due to infertility, infidelity, failure to fulfill familial
obligations, and the like. In the event of divorce, if the wife was at fault, her family was
obliged to return the dowry; but if the husband was at fault, he lost his rights to the
dowry. The couple would get equal custody of their children.

[edit] Sexuality and virginity

Virginity was of little value, and women were not overly protected. Filipino wives
enjoyed freedom in making decisions for the family, and as such were not confined solely
to domestic affairs like having a baby. Precolonial women, especially those settled along
the shore, did not like to give birth many times; they perceived it as being like pigs giving
birth to huge litters of young. Because of this, they practiced abortion whenever the
couple reached their desired number of children, as there was no concept of birth control
then.

[edit] Labor and property

Three Filipina farmers, clothed in simple farming attire with large round traditional hats,
are standing and sitting on a mound of their produce in sacks.

Labor and inheritance were divided equally among legitimate female and male children,
and unwed mothers still had a chance of getting a good marriage. Wives were not slaves,
and there was no concept of conjugal property, thus, properties brought to marriage
remained his or her own. In the case of divorce, landholdings and properties acquired
after marriage were divided equally, and the guilty party was even asked to pay fines.

In most cases, women were the chiefs of their families' livelihood. In fact, formal
contracts were done in the presence of a woman -– a woman's signature was enough to
make a transaction valid. Precolonial Filipinas were not merely watching over their clans'
economy, but were the ones who were actually improving their finances. They even
engaged in agriculture and trade with Chinese merchants, and engaged in weaving and
pottery-making.

[edit] Politics and governance

Precolonial women were not barred from acquiring high ranks in society, specifically in
political affairs. Even in popular legends –- which have basis in historical fact –- women
were regarded highly. Notable precolonial women in this field were the legendary
Lubluban, known as the first lawgiver who effectively addressed concerns in ritual
practices, inheritance and properties; Princess Urduja of Pangasinan, who, according to
legend, knew Asian culture and languages, and led an army of skilled women; and Queen
Sima who was believed to be one of the rulers of Cotabato in the 17th century and who
maintained peace and prosperity in the region.

Gender was not an issue in terms of leadership succession. When the tribal chief died, the
first child would automatically assume leadership. Women could even hold pacts, act as
representatives to agreements, and punish their tribal members. These were the same
responsibilities as male tribal chiefs.

[edit] Religious activities

In the role of a babaylan, women were active participants in important events in society –
birth, wedding, death, planting, harvesting, and the like. They acted as healers, midwives
or religious practitioners who had contact with the spirit world. In cases where the role of
a babaylan was assumed by a male, he was dressed like a woman, showing that women
were indeed highly respected.