Under Presidential Proclamation Nos.

224 and 227 and Republic Act

No.6949, we celebrate the National Women’s’ Month every March of each
year. The PCW (Philippine Commission on Women) Board Members and
Inter-Agency Technical Working Group identified the theme “We Make
Change Work for Women”, which shall be used from 2017-2022. The
acronym of the chosen theme has elements explained by
PCW. “We” stand for Women Empowerment. “Make Change Work” equals
the acronym MCW (Magna Carta of Women). Lastly, Change means
Compassionate and Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender
Equality.

Change is inevitable in this world. The women today are very different
from women hundreds of years ago in terms of social, economic, political,
and civil status. History tells us that past events have been responsible for
designing women’s roles in society. Throughout history, men have been
deemed as superior while women have been regarded as inferior. Women
were not granted the same privileges as men. They had this fantasy of an
“ideal” woman. A woman was supposed to be demure, submissive, and
dependent. In common culture and tradition, women are expected to be a
housewife. They would clean, cook, tend and bear children. Don’t get me
wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is we were limited to
being a housewife. In media, women were also portrayed as sex objects
whose sole purpose is to satisfy men. Long ago, patriarchy was evident.
Women were not allowed to speak their minds, if they were to state their
opinions it was of no value. There were little to no opportunities offered. But
we’ve certainly come a long way from being confined in the stereotype of
being laborers of a household.

According to the report released by the World Economic Forum

(WEF), the Philippines ranked 8th as the most gender-equal country in the
world in 2019, the only Asian country in the top 10. Women outnumbered
men in the labor force. More women were enrolled in secondary and
tertiary education. They were also able to finish their education. Women
can expect to live in good health for 5 years longer than men. But still, this
is not enough, we still lack in economic empowerment and political
empowerment. The Philippines has dropped 8 notches in the latest Global
Gender Gap report, falling out of the top 10 most gender-equal countries to
16th place. There is significantly lower female representation in the Duterte
Cabinet, dropping from 25% in 2017 to 10% in 2019. Female
representation in Congress also stood at a low 28% in early 2019. Although
we see more and more women in congress, they are still powerless. There
is still a lack of job opportunities. Women are still discredited for their
leadership abilities. The concerning amount of gender pay gap remains.
There are still women dying due to giving birth. Despite the passing of laws
that protect women and highlight equality, like Republic Act No. 9262 (Anti-
Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004) and the Anti-
Rape Law of 1997, there are still Filipinas that suffer from discrimination,
abuse, and exploitation. In 2017 alone, 11,558 Filipino women between the
ages of 15 and 49 suffered various forms of physical, sexual, and
emotional violence from their current husband or partner (NDHS, 2018).

The “We” in the theme which also stands for women empowerment
highlights the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claim
holders of development. Women play an important role in our society and
give important contributions. Women are independent and they are
capable. If they can then a woman can. The “we” doesn’t just stand for
women empowerment but also the original meaning of the word. We as a
society should take part in this movement for a fruitful result. We as a
whole should be a catalyst for change. The first important step would be
the dissemination of information, especially in rural areas where people
have little or no access to the internet. It makes me wonder how many acts
of violence or discrimination were left unreported because women are
afraid to speak up, this would be the case in rural or secluded areas where
they are still stuck in the traditional belief of what a woman should be. This
is why dissemination of information is important for us to know our rights as
a woman so we are not abused. The Magna Carta of Women captures all
gender-sensitive laws on women and aims to address problems that
Filipino women continue to suffer. This ensures that women have the
protection provided by the law. We make change work because our
generation today is more aware and more open. We have a huge number
of people who support women and equality. With most of the industry
dominated by men, we have women who pioneered women empowerment.
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz of Mexico memorably defended women’s rights
to education in 1691. Kate Sheppard led a campaign demanding women’s
suffrage that led to New Zealand becoming the first self-governing country
to grant national voting rights to women in 1893. Filipinas are also much-
empowered women. The oppressive attitude of colonial Spain toward the
Filipinas was first challenged by Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora), she led
both a political and cultural revolt against the suppression of women’s
rights. Josefa Capistrano founded the Women’s Auxiliary Service (WAS)
and trained women to be nurses, soldiers, and spies during World War II.
Recently, Luzviminda Camacho made history as the first woman
Commodore in the Philippine Navy. They are living proof that women are
more than capable, that they can be role models too. Women should be
inspiring other women, helping each other break the gender barrier. The
last element in our theme is "change" which stands for Compassionate and
Harmonized Actions and Networks for Gender Equality. Women are not
asking for special treatment. Feminism advocates equal rights for both men
and women. It is not to fight for authority over men but for harmony among
all genders. We stand on the same ground and together we can achieve
great feats. All we ask is respect and a fair shot at opportunities.

The consequent gender identities are the conceptions that a person

has on being male or female and becomes part of one’s self-concept
reinforced by social interaction. Gender identity emerges as people enact
gender roles and are reacted to by others as being either male or female
(Hughes & Kroehler, 2002). What we do defines who we are. Men and
women were stuck in a set of cultural expectations that defined who they
were and the result is inequality. We are told by our society that men
should be tough and aggressive. Women are perceived as emotional and
submissive. Women struggled a lot in earlier centuries. A woman's role has
developed largely and is making its greatest influence on our society today.
Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled
by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many
important areas. Now, women have far more freedom and access to
opportunities like employment and education. Years of discrimination gave
birth to several movements. Women now have a voice, we are limitless.
Although we have accomplished a lot, we still have a long way to go in
achieving equality. It seems like a dream but, like they always say, nothing
is impossible.

References:

https://pcw.gov.ph/event/2020-national-women-month

https://dict.gov.ph/we-make-change-work-for-women/
https://www.rappler.com/nation/247372-philippines-rankings-gender-gap-report-2020

https://psa.gov.ph/content/one-four-women-have-ever-experienced-spousal-violence-
preliminary-results-2017-national.

https://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/womensfootprintinhistory/en/index.html#sectio
n05/2

https://nolisoli.ph/58570/women-philippine-history-know/

https://asiasociety.org/philippines/women-philippines-inspiring-and-empowered

https://ejournals.ph/article.php?id=7122