Filipino women for justice.

 

Behind every successful man is an empowered woman. No surprise there! Although society usually tries to prove us otherwise, it is no secret that many of men’s achievements are done because of the presence of a woman. Women such as Gabriela Silang, who was the first Filipina to lead an uprising against a foreign power; Tandang Sora (Melchora Aquino), who took care of the wounded Katipuneros in 1896, risking her life; Teresa Magbanua, who joined the Katipunan’s women’s chapter in Panay as an experienced horse rider and marksman; Josefa Llanes Escoda, who was an active member of the suffrage movement of the Philippines; and Magdalena Leones, who was a World War II veteran, serving as a special agent during the Fall of Bataan – it is clear that many Filipino women carry their honour with great pride. 

As early as the 1960s, discrimination against the female population was already present. In workplaces, men were usually preferred over women; since most employers have an inherent belief that men are ‘simply better equipped to handle certain jobs’. Women were forced to carry the burden of being left over for men, as many believed that the male population was superior than females. They experienced being denied of basic education rights, income inequality, social harassments and promotion prospects. Society’s discrimination against women was already at its peak – deliberately choosing to believe that men were better than women with no proper inspection and review.

Although gender inequality is still present nowadays, our generation can still help in lessening these problems. Our current generation is more open, unbiased and accepting; at least, even if just a little bit. We can start by being more broad-minded towards gender equality, learning that any job, if not all, can always be done by a woman. Employers should not only look at oblivious, muscled men, but also start to look at cleverness and being perceptive. By adopting such efforts, hopefully, future generations will be able to completely remove the prejudice and discrimination against the female population.

sources for images used:https://www.preview.ph/culture/jwt-babaelang-study-a00193-20170308

https://www.esquiremag.ph/tag/women-empowerment

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Philippines