Gender & Society 1 

MODULE 2: GENDER & DEMOCRACY

A. Layunin:
1. Maipaliwanag ang kahulugan ng demokrasya at kaibahan nito sa iba pang uri
ng Sistema ng lipunan.
2. Maitaguyod ang karapatang pantao bilang nagmumula sa malalim at malawak
na pagpapakahulugan sa demokrasya.
3. Maipahayag ang kritikal na pag-iisip na kumikilala sa kalayaang pumili ng
gagampanin (gender roles) pagkakapantay-pantay ng gagampanin (gender
equality) bilang bahagi ng mas malalim at mas malawak na pagpapakahulugan
ng demokrasya.

B. Gawain at Analisis:
Sagutan sa coupon bond o yellow pad ang mga katanungan.

1. Bilang isang lalaki o babae, haggang saan ang inaasahan mong hangganan ng
iyong gagampanin o pakikisangkot sa gawain sa lipunan na kung saan
naipapahayag mo ang iyong sarili bilang isang malayang mamamayan?
2. Ano ang masasabi mo sa lipunan na kung saan nagtatakda ito kung ano ang
dapat na gawain ng mga kababaihan at kalalakihan, gayundin, na hindi dapat
gawin ng mga kalalakihan ang gagampanin ng mga kababaihan, halimbawa,
paglalaba, pagluluto, at hindi dapat panghimasukan ng mga kababaihan ang
gagampanin ng mga mga kalalakihan, kagaya ng pagsali sa pulitika,
pasusundalo o pagpupulis? Makatuwiran ba ito?
 

C. Babasahin para sa Paksa:

Democracy: An End to Gender Discrimination 
by Lan Truong 
(https://www.globalethicsnetwork.org/m/blogpost?id=6428686%3ABlogPost%3A100646) 
 
  
Glued to the television screen, I waited in anticipation for the 2016 U.S. presidential
election results between Republican Party representative Donald Trump and
Democratic Party representative Hillary Clinton. Deep down, I had the slightest
hope that we would have our first female president. Clinton’s nomination as the
first female presidential candidate by a major American political party reveals that
as a result of democracy, the nation continues to gradually advance towards a future
without gender bias playing a role in national decisions. In the end, Donald Trump
won the election, as my mother expected. “Of course he won,” she commented
 
Gender & Society 2 

behind me. “People would rather have a more authoritative male figure as the face
of the nation than the weaker female figure.” Her statement reflects the traditional
belief in Vietnam, her homeland, that men prove better political leaders than
women, reminding me of the issue of gender discrimination that persists in many
regions around the world today.

Unfortunately, women are still restrained by gender stereotypes in the U.S., even
though the nation adopted a democratic form of government. But are we living in a
complete democracy if women remain standing on a lower platform than men and
receive unequal treatment, despite legally possessing equal rights and
opportunities?

Democracy can be defined as a form of government that enables complete

participation of the public in sharing opinions or calling for a redress of grievances.
However, democracy is not limited merely to a government system; it is a
manifestation of ideals that involve freedom, social equality, and unity. Democracy
ensures the preservation of our fundamental human rights. Democracy is the will
to push for change, to turn weaknesses into strengths, to turn threats into
opportunities. Democracy enables us to communicate ideas and paves the way for
individual expression and societal development. However, just as democracy
enables men and women alike to exercise their rights, only when we achieve
complete gender equality will we be living in a true democracy.

In both the U.S. and Vietnam, gender discrimination based on patriarchal values
had been a part of culture since ancient times. Men considered women as
stereotypically inferior physically and mentally, so women were rarely allowed to
deal with economic or political matters. Instead, society expected them to bear
children and raise the family as well as assume responsibility for housework; in
other words, they only had control over domestic matters as housewives and
mothers. Physical abuse towards women and gender disparities in access to public
services, employment, education, and other opportunities regularly occurred; thus,
women lacked an equal voice in decisions affecting their lives.

For instance, earlier this month, it was reported that the Boston Symphony
Orchestra paid Elizabeth Rowe, the principal flutist, about $70,000 less per year
than John Ferrillo, the principal oboist. She requested to be paid the same salary as
Ferrillo, but the orchestra refused. Despite both musicians occupying leading
positions in the orchestra, the female was paid less, revealing that the gender pay
gap remains an issue concerning gender discrimination today.

In Vietnam, women continue to face double pressures. According to Vuong Thi

Hanh, director of the Centre for Educational Promotion and Empowerment for
Women, the traditional expectations of women’s roles in families remain
unchanged and women struggle to balance their education and jobs with their
household duties. However, women legally possess equal rights regarding
economic and political participation as well as access to education due to increasing
acceptance of democratic values and advocacy for women’s rights. According to the
2017 Gender Inequality Index (GII), the United Nations ranked Vietnam with the
 
Gender & Society 3 

67th lowest measurement of gender inequality out of 160 countries, which

demonstrates Vietnam’s growing social achievements in raising women’s status.
Though gender equality and women’s empowerment in Vietnam have yet to fully
develop, Vietnam is undeniably improving at embracing social equality by
developing a strong legal framework on gender equality.

Many people continue to argue that women should return to their traditional,
domestic roles because a mother’s presence at home would keep housework taken
care of and would help raise the children with love and care. However, constantly
confining women to the home would result in lower employment rates and reduce
economic improvement, which would be especially detrimental to rapidly
developing societies. And with more mouths to feed, families may need more
income in order to address their children’s needs and live comfortably. Although,
whether the decision to work or stay home depends on the situation of the family,
which is exactly why the women themselves should judge which option seems more
suitable for dealing with the circumstances. Additionally, if women returned to
traditional roles, they would be subjected to gender stereotypes that would
encourage degrading and condescending views toward women.

Democracy as the foundation of fundamental human rights existed before the

emergence of gender equality as an issue, but growing emphasis on gender
equality serves an important factor in developing a true democracy. The
absence of women’s involvement in national policy decisions leads to a biased and
incomplete form of democracy. In the U.S., only white males initially enjoyed
democratic rights. These rights, such as the right to vote, extended to women in the
1920s after a long period of women’s rights movements and advocacy by activists
like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul. In Vietnam, as society gradually embraced
the idea of gender equality and acknowledged the potential of women’s
participation in national decisions, political, economic, and educational
opportunities were legally granted to women during the 1960s and 1970s. The
existence of democracy thus allows for advances in women’s rights and contributes
to the elevation of women’s social standing in society.

Conversely, increasing recognition of women’s rights also improves and

strengthens democracy. With the right to vote in a democracy, men and women
alike can not only express their opinions and call for action on controversial issues
without consequences, but also gain the ability to improve and change the nation.
If a democracy ignores the voices of females and judges a woman’s abilities based
only on her gender, it is a democracy for only half the people, and thus an
incomplete democracy. We must work together to eliminate gender discrimination
and stereotypes in order for women to reach their potential on an equal basis with
men. Only then will a true democracy emerge.

It is important to live in a society with democratic ideals in order to exercise our

basic human rights and live in freedom. But that does not necessarily mean the
governmental institution must be democratic. What is more important is not
necessarily the implementation of a democratic government in a nation, but the
democratic ideals presented and valued in a society. For instance, although the U.S.
 
Gender & Society 4 

and Vietnam adopted different forms of government—democratic-republican and

communist, respectively—both nations value the democratic ideal of equality. As
such, whether a nation follows a democratic government matters less than whether
the nation follows the democratic values.

However, living in a democratic society also means we must work towards ending
gender discrimination and stop gender stereotypes from influencing our beliefs
concerning a woman’s potential in previously male-dominated areas of expertise,
such as politics. For example, we can take advantage of our democratic freedoms
(such as the right to vote or the right to participate in mass demonstrations) to
address the issue of the gender pay gap and encourage legal change. Even small
actions such as distributing housework more evenly between the husband and wife
can help the nation reach further towards gender equality and engender social
improvement. As former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright asserts,
“Success without democracy is improbable; democracy without women is
impossible.” By promoting women empowerment and ridding society of gender
discrimination, women can project their voices on an equal footing and achieve the
same level of success as men without being held back by stereotypes. A nation
driven by democracy needs women in order to completely represent the people. As
the existence of democratic principles in a society strengthens women’s rights—
through advocacy movements, for instance—realizing women’s rights also
strengthens democracy. In a sense, democracy improves itself. Therefore, we must
work together in creating a world equally meant for both men and women. Only
then can we promote social change and strive towards living in a true democracy.
 
 
D. Ebalwasyon:
Pagpapatuloy, sagutan ang mga katanungan.
1. Ano ang Demokrasya at anu-ano ang mga katangian nito?
2. Sa anong sitwasyon natin masasabing ang lipunan natin ay nagtatamasa
ng tunay na demokrasya?
3. Ano ang 2 bagay na kailangan natin putulin para makamit natin ang
tunay na demokrasya? Ano ang ibig sabihin ng 2 bagay na tinutukoy at
magbigay ng halimbawa?
4. Kilala ang Estados Unidos ng America(United States of America)
bilang isa sa mayaman, makapangyarihan bansa sa buong mundo at
masugid na tagapagtaguyod ng demokrasyang lipunan. Sa kasaysayan
ng bansang ito, paano nila nalampasan ang limitadong pagtingin at
pagsasagawa ng demokrasya patungo sa mas malalim na pagkilala rito
(iugnay ang usapin ng Pang-aalipin sa mga Afrikano o black slavery at
Karapatan sa Pagboto noong bago pa lamang sila nagsisimula bilang
isang bansa.)?