Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society)
Lesson 1: Theories on the Origin of Women’s
Oppression
Concept of Women’s Oppression • How did it
happen that half of the world’s population is
systematically discriminated?
• Women:
➢ Bears children and mostly raise their
children from infancy and up to their
early years.
➢ A source of cultural and emotional
education of children.
➢ Primary task of taking care of the family
(universal caregiving).
➢ First healer due to their extensive
knowledge of herbs.
• At some point in all ancient cultures, women
were hailed as mediators to the gods.
Rosalind Miles – a famous feminist writer,
journalist, and historian who has researched the
hidden role of women throughout history. Compiled
theories to discuss the origin of women’s oppression.
Theory 1: Goddess Worship to God Worship
• From ancient civilizations that worshipped the
earth goddess to the male suppression of this
goddess.
• Women-centric cults existed prior to the
phallocentric cults, a slow and violent process.
• According to Miles, women were less valued,
and their status were threatened with the
expansion of phallus worship around 1500 BC.
• The first gods for early civilization were women
as they were celebrated and venerated for her
fertility (dating to as far back as 5000 years ago).
• Goddess-Based Social Organization – the
worship of mother goddesses lasted for as long as
people experienced the development of life as a
mystery and a gift. Men realized that they too
played part in fertility eventually, societies
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila
MIDTERM
concluded that the source of life was the penis,
not the womb.
• People started believing that males bore the
creative power in which the seed of men
developed inside the female, who served as a
receptive vessel of life. As male power grew,
inequality also increased.
• Women became seen not as active partners but
only as passive incubators.
Theory 2: Eve and the Other
• Western Religion influenced a negative
perception of women.
• The Story of Eve – since she is of Adam’s flesh
(rib), she is his equal.
• The story shows how a woman had deprived all
of humankind the abundance that the Garden of
Eden had to offer. Ultimately, a woman’s folly
brought suffering to men.
• According to Miles, the links fall to the goddess
cult to the rise of discriminatory treatment
against women.
• Women are perceived to be feeble-minded, of
lesser value to man, and ultimately women had
the potential to cause the downfall of great men.
Theory 3: A Shift of Production
• The shift of production from hunter-gathering to
agriculture has contributed to the oppression of
women. How? Reproduction became an
important task in society as it needed for workers.
Women had to be watched, protected and
controlled.
• Sexuality had to be overseen so the community
could be assured that the children they will
produce will be loyal to the community.
• A shift from food production to laborer
production has oppressed women as a result.
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Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society) MIDTERM
Lesson 2: The Western Women’s Movement led to what would be known as the suffrage
(suffragette) movement.
• Exposed the structural inequality faced by
Second Wave
women in particular era.
• Rooted in the movements of liberation in the
Feminism – a way of looking at the world through a
1960s and 1970s and the heightened feminist
woman’s perspective. The patriarchal nature of
consciousness.
society has driven feminism to concern itself with
issues in relation to women oppression, with an end • Socialist Feminism – believe that women are
goal of liberating women through gender equality. opposed in all aspects of their lives, not only in
the economic aspect. Women’s subjugation is
First Wave: Women and Civil Rights • Called for
rooted in the concept of having a monogamous
women’s equal rights with men, focusing on right to
family and monogamous women are confined in
vote.
their homes and are discouraging to participate in
• Originated during the French Revolution –
productive labor.
Parisian women marched to the Paris City Hall in
• Radical Feminism – sought to ensure woman’s
1789 to demand right to a cheaper bread.
differences from man were recognized and
• The theoretical roots are Liberal Feminism.
celebrated. Came about as a reaction to the lack
Women became articulated of their equality with
of attention given to sex and sexuality in the
men. This is inspired to political thought of Kant,
women’s struggle.
Mill, and Rousseau.
Third Wave
A. Women and the Anti-Slavery Movement
• Shifted focus to include the needs of women from
• The idea that a woman is the property of her
developing countries in light of the effect of
husband may explain the strong connection
globalization and neoliberalist economic
between women’s liberation movement and
policies.
the anti-slavery in the West.
• Call for a feminism that embraced the plurality of
• Women had no political voice, and during
women’s experience.
the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention,
• Deemed to be more inclusive, as voices from
women delegates were even made to listen
post-colony and post-socialist countries were
behind curtains.
involved in the movement.
• Attendees like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton say this as a similarity of
women’s situation with that of slaves.
Lesson 3: Women in the Philippines
B. Women’s Right to Vote
• Participants in the first wave of women’s Pre-colonial Philippines
emancipation movement fought for the right to • There was no discrimination between sons
vote, equal opportunity for employment and and daughters, and parents took pride of their
commerce, and the right to education. children. All children are equal in terms of
• Seneca Falls Convention – the first women’s rights inheritance.
convention in New York City in 1848. Produced
the Declaration of Sentiments, and eventually

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Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2020 | NOT FOR SALE
Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society)
• All children are educated equally, and each
took an active role in society when they grew
up.
• Marriages were arranged and a dowry was
paid by the groom to the wife’s family. The
woman kept her name, and if she was
particularly meritorious, the husband took her
name. Spouses are views as equal partners in
marriage.
• Divorce was available, and both had equal
rights to property and children.
• Sexual inhibitions regarding virginity in
marriage was not universally valued, sex
education was prescribed duty of mothers to
daughters (Code of Kalantiaw).
• Women were free to exercise their decisions
concerning reproduction, with abortion an
option.
• Women played an important role in the
economic
• Babaylan – individuals who hold special
knowledge or can converse with spirits.
Supposedly chosen by the spirits and given
special powers to engage the unseen beings of
nature. A culture bearer, priestess, and myth
keeper, healing not only one’s body and soul
but also one’s relationship with the spirits and
nature.
Hispanic Period
• Spanish clergy saw early Filipinas as too
sensuous and free with their behavior, but
were appreciated for being intelligent, strong-
willed, and practical.
• Friars admonished women to remain pure.
• Women were taught to avoid sin by keeping
chaste, not being vain, dressing modestly,
keeping busy at home, and being
selfsacrificing.
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila
MIDTERM
• Spaniards created a woman who was only
active at home and withdrawn from the public
sphere.
• Filipinas were reduced to an instrument for
propagating the colonial system and
producing the next generation that would
ensure its survival.
• Maria Clara – the embodiment of a Filipina
during the Spanish Era. A sweet, docile,
obedient, self-sacrificing woman.
• Logia de Adopcion – a 1890s masonic lodge
of intellectual women with anti-Spanish
sentiments.
American Period
• From the 1900 to 1920s, most women’s
groups furthered the presence of women in
the public sphere by focusing on charity work
and social services.
• Decision-making at top levels in all these
movements had largely been done by men.
Three Insights (American Period to Martial
Law):
1. Movements were begun and dominated
by men
2. The women’s involvement in these
movements gave them liberties and roles
that were traditionally denied to them.
3. The goals and objectiveness of these
movements were valid for and important
to a smaller or great section of Filipino
women.
The Birth of Militant Groups with a Feminist
Agenda
• Revolutionary groups that emerged in the 1960s
and 1970s were associated with the
communist and socialist movements.
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Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society)
The Nationalist and Militant Movements
• Believed that the only way to achieve equality
in the society was to liberate the nation from
the exploitation of the elite and the United
States.
Militant Groups:
1. MAKIBAKA – Malayang Kilisan ng Bagong
Kababaihan. A group of student activists who
showed that the root of women’s problems
lay in feudalism, capitalism, and colonialism.
2. PILIPINA – Kilusan ng Kababaihang
Pilipino. Focused on mainstreaming
women’s concerns in the transformation of
society.
3. KALAYAAN – Katipunan ng Kababaihan
Pasa sa Kalayaan. Worked within the national
liberation agenda to ensure that the women’s
liberation issues were not made secondary in
the movement.
4. SAMAKA – Samahand Makabayan ng
Kabataang Pilipina. A women’s group from
the University of the Philippines.
5. GABRIELA – General Assembly Binding
Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality,
Leadership, and Action. A political party
focusing on women.
Ten Filipinas Who Advanced Modern Feminism
in the Country
1. Leticia Ramos-Shahani – a former Senator,
chairperson of National Commission on the
Role of Filipina Women, country
representative to the first Commission on the
Status of Women, and one of the women who
spearheaded and solely drafter CEDAW.
2. Patricia Benitez-Licuanan – a former
chairperson of CHED, National Commission
on the Role of Filipina Women, Commission
on the Status of Women, Main Committee
Fourth World Conference of Women, and
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila
MIDTERM
cofounder of the Asia Pacific Women’s
Watch, the convener of the Asia-Pacific NGO
Forum.
3. Teresita Quintos-Delez – a peace advocate,
former chair and co-founder of Coalition for
Peace, National Peace Conference.
4. Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB – a
feminist activist, former GABRIELA
chairperson and former president of St.
Scholastica’s College. One of the top 100
Inspiring People in the World in 2011.
5. Sister Christine Tan – first Filipina to head
the Philippine Province of the Religious of
the Good Shepherd.
6. Joi Barrios (Maria Josephine Barrios) – a
popular poet, actress, scriptwriter, and
activist. Her works include To Be A Woman
is to Live at A Time of War.
7. Lorena Barros – one of the founders of
MAKIBAKA.
8. Raisa Jajurie – advocate of Muslim
women’s rights. Founded Nisa Ul-Haqq fi
Bangsamoro (women for Justice in the
Bangsamoro).
9. Roselle Ambubuyog – first visuallyimpaired
Filipina summa cum laude. She was granted
full scholarship at the Ateneo de Manila
University for a bachelor’s degree in
Mathematics.
10. Rosa Henson – a comfort woman. Her
autobiography Comfort Women: Slave of
Destiny was published in 1992. She joined
Hukbalahap in the WW2.
Lesson 4: Women and Education Gender and
Education
Education – a basic human right, according to the
UDHR, essential for the progress of the society.
• 2nd Millennium Development Goal – right to
universal primary education hopes to eliminate
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Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society)
gender disparity in primary and secondary
education.
• 4th Sustainable Development Goal – aims to
ensure inclusive and equal education for all and
promote lifelong learning.
• Gender can influence an individual’s experience
with education (how a person gets, what kind of
quality of education a person receives, etc.).
• In some countries, women are still fighting for
their right to education (example: the story of
Malala)
• Some struggle for the basic privilege to take up
a non-traditional course or program (a course or
program that is not usually associated to a
particular gender).
• It should be noted that gender parity in education
does not mean gender equality. This simply
creates a more just and equitable society for all.
• Some benefits for women include better
economic opportunities, delayed marriage,
reduced fertility, better sexual and reproductive
health and rights, and equality and
empowerment.
The Importance of Education: An International
Perspective
1. UDHR – Article 26 provides that education is
everyone’s fundamental right. Primary
education is a non-negotiable right that must be
free for all. Higher, technical and professional
education should be accessible and based on
one’s own merits and skills.
2. CEDAW – necessitates the elimination of
discrimination against women, specifically the
elimination of discriminatory laws, practices,
and acts against women in educational
institutions.
3. MDG and SDG – education is the only formal
institution (outside of the family) that all
individuals are required to pass through.
Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila
MIDTERM
Education is the root of, or a powerful tool, for
social transformation.
4. BPfA – prioritizes equal access to quality
education, as education is viewed as key to help
people achieve their full potential.
Philippine Laws on gender-Responsive and
Gender-Fair Education
1. 1987 Constitution – access to education is a
fundamental right, regardless of status in life.
The Constitution provides that education should
always receive the highest budgetary allocation.
2. Philippine Development Plan for Women
(1989-1992)
3. Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive
Development (1995-2025)
4. NEDA Handbook – Harmonized Gender and
Development for Project Implementation,
Monitoring, and Evaluation (2010). Identifies
other recommendations to achieve a gender-fair
system of education. Designed to help monitor
the gender-responsiveness of academic
programs.
Gender and Development Markers in Education
Multispectral
• Primary and Secondary – participation,
enrollment, and positive performance in
standardized tests are used as indicators.
• Higher Education – performance of male and
female students in licensing and board exams,
and enrollees, graduates and distribution of
gender per academic degree or program.
• Employment in the Education Sector – the
number of teachers and administrators per
gender is evaluated for public, private and
vocational institutions.
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Handout for GEE 001B (Gender and Society) MIDTERM
Gender Issues in Education the person who demands the act is in moral
• Gender parity is present in the Philippines, with ascendancy or influence over the person
girls even outperforming boys in terms of test being solicited.
scores and degree completion.
• Beijing +20 NGO Report – the issues
surrounding education have more to do with
discrimination caused by cultural beliefs and
gender biases.
• Thelma Kintanar – Gender Concerns on
Campus – An Information Kit for College
Administrators and Educators. It is necessary to
analyze the quality of education given to
women.

Different Issues Concerning Gender and

Education
1. Stereotyping as a Violation of Human Rights
• 2013 Report of High Commissioner of
Human Rights – declares gender stereotyping
as a violation of one’s human rights. It has a
negative effect on women’s education
quality, access, and the field they will enter.
• Stereotypes are enforced by numerous
institutions like family, community, church,
school, and mass media.
2. Issues in STEM
• Philippine Beijing +20 NGO Report – the
promotion of woman’s successes in STEM is
lacking. The textbooks overlooked female
researchers and achievements thus creating a
gap between genders represented in science
books. This will not relate to the lived
experiences of women, making it harder for
them to see themselves in this field.
3. Sexual Violence in Education
• Happens mostly against women.
• This contributes to higher and earlier drop-out
rates, as well as lower academic achievement.
• Anti-Sexual Harassment Law of 1995 –
defines sexual harassment as the demand of a
sexual act or favor in an institution, wherein
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Prepared by: Mr. Justin Paul D. Gallano
Faculty Member – College of Arts, T.I.P. Manila © 2020 | NOT FOR SALE