Thought Paper 1

Before I even started taking classes for RZL110 The Life and Works of Rizal, I was

definitely indifferent towards the actions, events, sacrifices, and even stories about our ancestors.

An in fact, I hate studying anything related to history. However, now that I am starting to

understand this information, I believe that these will have a significant effect towards my

development as a person. On the year 1889 February 22, Rizal wrote a letter that is now called

the “Ang sulat sa kababaihan ng Malolos” to a group of women that lives in Malolos. In the

letter, Rizal enunciated that he greatly desires for Filipino women to enjoy the privileges that

come with education together with men as equals. He greatly emphasized that a country or nation

would never have freedom nor flourish when its children and women are not given nor shown

these privileges. The Women’s movement in the Philippines today has achieved numerous

privileges that will help them economically, politically, and in social contexts of equality.

However, there was a proposition that state that there are still changes that could be made in

order to rid of inequality in both politics and economic statuses. Currently, there are various

reports that display women’s educational capabilities as they are recognized and institutionalized

in various academic institutions wherein, they have been a great contributing factor towards the

advocation and implementation of gender equality. The education and development of women is

now termed to be of “immediate need” as it allows our nation to have a bigger labor force that

sustains the daily needs of the Filipino families. Furthermore, there has been a study that show

that a mother’s educational level was found to have a positive effect towards the educational

outcomes of their children. This can be explained since the mother is usually the one who is

taking care of the children and is their primary caretaker. And for me, I see the women who are

capable, upright, intelligent, and courageous as a great role models for the younger generation.
And today, since they are given more rights and encouragement, they have more opportunities

for themselves. In summary, it is somehow difficult to comprehend how different factors

affected the growth of women’s empowerment, importance, and value. Still, it can be traced back

to Rizal who showed his aspiration for the Filipino women. The women of Malolos that started

and has proven that a society is in need of women who can stand on their own, help others, and

are willing to learn and improve upon themselves.