Women's liberation in the Philippines during the Colonial Period: Spanish Occupation,

American Occupation, and Japanese Occupation

Background of the Paper

Women, having an indispensable part in the development and triumphs of Philippine society
throughout different historical conjunctures, encountered countless battles that tested their
capabilities as a woman. Battles against oppression, abuse, prejudice, and discrimination, just
because they are "women." These horrors that women experienced stripped them from their rights
of freedom and liberation. They were deprived of their right to freedom of speech, education, and
suffrage. However, these are just the tip of the iceberg as a more profound story is yet to be
unveiled. Hence, this paper aims to tackle whether women were liberated or subjugated in the
Colonial Period in the Philippines, particularly in the Spanish occupation, American occupation, and
the Japanese occupation.

Spanish Occupation
 
The arrival of the Spaniards is marked with dominance and control over women's bodies,
where women are no longer liberated as they took the freedom early Filipinas could enjoy and
ingrained their toxic culture into the native Filipinos' minds (Hega et al., 2017). Saldua (2012) stated
that the Spaniards significantly reduced the importance of women and were subjects of suppression.
She further wrote that the Spaniards brought their idea of a woman and dictated where women
should be placed in society. Consequently, they were denied formal education and are expected to
be "overly religious, submissive, and obedient," the typical "Maria Clara" (Saldua, 2012). They were
confined in their homes to attend to their husbands' needs and take care of their children as this was
the stereotype before, and never having the opportunity to live their passion. This is concrete proof
that women in the Spanish occupation were stripped of their liberty as they can no longer decide for
their own and instead submitted to men and obeyed whatever the men wanted them to do. 

As friars aggressively indoctrinated early Filipinos with their Christian faith, Gaborro (2009)
revealed that the Babaylans, who were healers and leaders of the tribal community, were
demonized by the friars as they claimed that the powers of Babaylans came from black magic,
which was an anathema to the Christian doctrine. Because of this, the high status of women was
altered following the Spaniards' ideologies. They were no longer allowed to lead communities and
participate in social and political matters. Their significance in society diminished. They were treated
as second-class citizens, and they were subservient to men. Having known this fact, we can infer
that women in the colonial period in the Spanish occupation were indeed subjugated and denied
liberation.

American Occupation

The arrival of the Americans gave women access to formal education and gave them
opportunities to earn college degrees (Peralta, 2015). The American occupation is significantly
different from the Spanish occupation in terms of women's liberation, as the latter deprived women
of education while the Americans provided them with education. Sobritchea (1996) mentioned that
“With the increase in the female literacy rate, more women gained access to new types of work and
careers, like in law and science." With these, we can say that women in the American period had all
their rights and freedom to attain an education that enabled them to pursue their passion. Americans
greatly eradicated the stereotypes brought by the Spaniards as in American occupation now have
careers and big responsibilities in their jobs. It is observed that the Americans cared more about the
welfare of women and their liberation, thus liberating them and opening doors for women to be
involved in societal and economic activities, unlike the Spaniards, whose norms are heavily against
women's freedom. This is evidence that women are slowly becoming liberated again; although not
entirely, it is still better than what women experienced during the time of the Spanish. 

In 1935, women in the Philippines raised their voices and participated in the suffragist
movement to gain their right to vote. Legarda (1931) said that the American Colonizers were willing
to give Filipino women their right to vote, but the Filipino men were against this idea. We can say
that the influence of the Spaniards towards the Filipinos was immense to the extent that the Filipino
men themselves who should have been for their fellow Filipino women are the ones who advocated
against women's freedom to vote. Despite the opposition, we cannot deny the fact that the
Americans gave women their liberty back. The movement itself that fights for women's rights is a
manifestation of how women were able to exercise freedom of speech in the American Occupation.

Japanese Occupation

In the short period that the Japanese have ruled the Philippines, women were once again
stripped from their liberty as hundreds of men from the Japanese Imperial Army abducted and
sexually abused women regardless of their age (The Lily News, 2019). These women who were
taken forcibly by the Japanese are called "comfort women." They engaged in sexual activities with
the Japanese out of their own volition because if they refused, they will be tortured or even killed.
Data revealed that there were 17 comfort stations for the Japanese across the country, which was
confirmed by the victims themselves who survived the brute force of the Japanese (Panel of
Lawyers For Filipino Comfort Women, 1993). Thus, the sexual abuses were indeed true. The
Japanese occupation relived the experiences of women during the Spanish era, where their voices
and whimpers are subdued and unheard. This is evidence that women in the Japanese occupation
were not liberated.

Conclusion

In the Spanish occupation, women were denied liberty and were dominated by a patriarchal
society. Subsequently, the American period was a time were women flourished, and they were given
many opportunities and freedom to live their desires. Lastly, the Japanese occupation yet again took
women's liberty as they forcibly abducted and raped hundreds of Filipinas. Thus, we can say that
women in the Colonial period were both liberated and subjugated.

REFERENCES

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