Gender Biases and

Issues: Manifestations
& Solutions
Development is for
ALL…
 It is our duty to facilitate that development
BENEFITS ALL.
 Development: What
Development: What’’ss the
the
bottomline?
bottomline?

• Development is about attaining a full

and satisfying life for all
• Attaining a full and satisfying life for
all is a shared responsibility
- of everyone- regardless of age, sex, religion,
ethnicity or class
- of the government as duly mandated authority
- of all individuals and entities who benefit from
development or are affected by the lack of it
What underlies the
performance of this
responsibility?
For individuals the performance of
this responsibility requires:

a) the capacity to do; and

b) the capacity to be
 The capacity to do means -
ability or power

• to do productive and satisfying work

• to have control over one’s income

and benefit from it
• to enjoy nature and the natural
environment
• to procreate and rear children

• to care for others

• to travel in search for

opportunities
 The
The capacity
capacity to
to be
be means-
means-
a
a right
right and
and opportunity
opportunity

• to be knowledgeable and skillful

• to be well-nourished

• to be confident of own abilities

• to be comfortable with achievements,

independence and power
BUT, there are....

GENDER ISSUES
 Gender issues pertain to beliefs,
ideas, attitudes, behavior, systems
and other factors that block peoples’
capacity to do and to be
Gender issues affect everybody,
men or women, rich or poor,
young or old, etc. in all spheres
of life.

THEY
THEY AFFECT
AFFECT
MEN
MEN
GENDER
GENDER BIASES
BIASES AGAINST
AGAINST MEN
MEN

• Inherently aggressive and violent

• Don’t feel pain or incapable of

experiencing human emotions
• Inherently compulsive in their
sexuality
• Don’t need closeness, reassurance,
and attention
Globally, women and men are boxed
into situations ---- which constrain
their

•• capacity
capacity to
to do
do and
and to
to be
be

And hinder their potential to attain

a full and satisfying life
 PERSONAL
PERSONAL

WOMEN’S
WOMEN’S GENDER
GENDER ISSUES
ISSUES
WOMENs
participation in
development is
limited!

The process which forces women out into the periphery of economic,
political, and social life.
Women being considered a nonessential force in the economy.
Women are last to be hired and first to be fired.
Women receive lesser salary than men (for every peso earned by men,
women earned only Php 0.39)
The vision:
Equal Pay for Work of Equal
Value
The vision:

Economic Independence
The vision:

Economic Opportunities
 RA9710

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be

known as “The Magna Carta of Women”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. –

economic,
Recognizing that the
political, and sociocultural
realities affect women’s current
condition, the State affirms the role
of women in nation building and
ensures the substantive equality
It shall promote empowerment of
women and pursue equal
opportunities for women and men and
ensure equal access to resources and to
development results and outcome. Further,
the State realizes that equality of men and
women entails the abolition of the
unequal structures and practices
that perpetuate discrimination and
inequality. To realize this, the State shall
endeavor to develop plans, policies,
programs, measures, and
One sex is inferior to the other.
Secondary position of women in the
society.
Women have less access to and control
over development resources and benefit.
It is an institutionalized domination by
men of women.
Less participation of women in planning
and in decision-making bodies.
The vision:

Quality Participation in Decision-

Making
The vision:
Recognition of Capabilities
Women’s involvement in the three
spheres of work:
 Reproductive (unpaid household chores
usually performed by women)
 Productive (women are paid less than men)
 Community work (unpaid volunteer work
often times done by women)
The vision:
 Shared Parenting
The vision:
 Shared Housework
Fixed unquestioned beliefs or
images we carry in the back
of our minds about women
and men transmitted from
one generation to generation.

Society’s perceptions and

value systems that instil an
image of :
 women as weak, dependent,
subordinate, indecisive,
emotional and submissive.
 men on the other hand are
strong, independent, powerful,
dominant, decisive and logical.
The vision:
 Liberation from stereotyped
images
The vision:
 Non-sexist child rearing
The vision; what should be:

Non-sexist /Gender-Fair Language

Avoid exclusionary forms
If a student studies hard, he will succeed.
Choose inclusionary alternatives
If a student studies hard, he or she will
succeed.
Students who study hard will succeed.
THEREFORE….

All of us need to be conscious of our

BELIEFS and ASSUMPTIONS
as these often impede the attainment of
of our full potential as human beings
and of those for which we are
responsible.
VIOLENCE AGAINST
WOMEN
Acts of instilling fear and inflicting
pain with the aim to injure, or
abuse a person usually women.
Verbal, psychological & physical forms of
violence:
 jokes
 wolf-whistles
 peeking
 “chancing” or making sexual passes
 sexual harassment
 domestic violence
 rape
 prostitution
 commodification – the act of treating
women as a commodity or object &
not as a person
vaw
 How to
address?
 ANTI-VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN
AND THEIR CHILDREN
ACT OF 2004
(RA 9262)
 VAWC
(United Nations)

 1 in 3 beaten or sexually abused

 100M-140M experienced genital
mutilation

“a phenomenon cutting across the barriers of caste,

race, ethnicity, language and religious affiliation”
(Fiorenza)
 Statistics of
Violence Against Women

 1 in 5 = physical violence since age 15

 1 in 7 = physical violence in marriage

 1 in 10 = sexual violence

 The 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) conducted by the (NSO)
 VAW CASES REPORTED
TO THE PNP
 15,104 VAW cases reported in 2010

 9,021 RA 9262 cases in 2011

 12,948 VAW cases in 2012

 16,517  RA 9262 cases in 2013

 VAW CASES REPORTED
TO THE PNP
 1 woman beaten every 43 minutes

 1child battered every 1 hour & 20

mins

 1 in 4 children witnessed violence

able 1. Annual Comparative Statistics on Violence Against Women, 2004 - 2012
ource: Philippine National Police - Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC)

Reported Cases (crimes 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Against Women)
Rape 997 927 659 837 811 770 1,042 832 1,030 1,259
Incestuous Rape 38 46 26 22 28 27 19 23 33 26
Attempted Rape 194 148 185 147 204 167 268 201 256 317
Acts of Lasciviousness 580 536 382 358 445 485 745 625 721 1,035
Physical Injuries 3,553 2,335 1,892 1,505 1,307 1,498 2,018 1,588 1,744 3,564
Sexual Harassment 53 37 38 46 18 54 83 63 41 196

RA 9262 (VAW-C) 218 924 1,269 2,387 3,599 5,285 9,974 9,021 11,531 16,517

Threats 319 223 199 182 220 208 374 213 240 426
Seduction 62 19 29 30 19 19 25 15 10 8
Concubinage 121 102 93 109 109 99 158 128 146 199
RA 9208 (Anti-trafficking) 17 11 16 24 34 152 190 62 41 45
Abduction / Kidnapping 29 16 34 23 28 18 25 22 20 23
Unjust Vexation 90 50 59 59 83 703 183 155 156 250

Total 6,271 5,374 4,881 5,729 6,905 9,485 15,104 12,948 15,969 23,865
What is VAWC?
any act or series of
acts committed by any
person against a
woman or against her
child
which result to abuse
WOMAN
 Wife
 former wife
 a woman with whom the
person has or had a sexual or
dating relationship
 with whom he has a common
child
 CHILD
 Below 18 years old
 legitimate or illegitimate
 inside or outside the family
residence
 Who are liable?
o Husbands
o Former husbands
o Present and former boyfriends
or live-in partners
o Those with whom the woman
has a common child, or
o Anyone with whom she has/had
sexual or dating relationship
 VIOLENCE
 Physical
 Sexual
 Psychological
 Economic
 PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE
 Repeated verbal violence
 Intimidation, harassment
 Abusive injury to pets
 Public humiliation
 Marital infidelity
 Stalking
ECONOMIC ABUSE
 ECONOMIC ABUSE
• Not giving adequate financial
support to the wife and / or minor
children
• Preventing the victim from
engaging in a legitimate
profession
• Controlling the business or
conjugal or community property
or the woman’s own property
 Remedies of the
Victim
 Petition for Protection Order
 Criminal action for violation
of RA 9262
 Criminal action with
reservation of a separate
civil action
 Civil action for damages
 PENALTIES
 Imprisonment
 Fine
 Psychological Counseling
BARANGAY PROTECTION ORDER
 Issued by Punong Barangay or
Kagawad
 Ordering the offender to desist
from committing or threatening
physical harm to the victim
 Effective for 15 days only
 Flowchart – BPO
Victim/Petitioner
reports incident to the BPO received
Barangay

PB/Kagawad receives
victim & advises her PB/Kagawad serves
to file application for BPO to the
BPO respondent

PB/Kagawad issues
PB/Kagawad conducts
BPO on the same day
ex parte proceedings
of appointment
Temporary Protection Order (TPO)
 Apply for Temporary Protection
Order (TPO) from the court
 Effective for 30 days

Permanent Protection Order (PPO)

 Issued after notice and hearing
 Other Reliefs
 Removal of abuser from residence,
regardless of ownership
 Directs abuser to stay away
 Grants custody of children
 Directs abuser to provide support
(employer is required to remit directly to woman)
Who may file for Protection
Order from the barangay or
court?
 Offended party
 Ascendants, descendants or
collateral relatives w/in 4th civil
degree
 Social workers / Punong Barangay
 Lawyer, counselor, therapist
 At least 2 citizens of the place who
have personal knowledge of the
commission of the crime
 Prescriptive Period
 Physical abuse
20 years

 Psychological/sexual abuse
10 years
Therefore , Gender Sensitivity ...
 Ability to recognize gender issues,
 Women’s and men’s different
perceptions and interests
 Gender Sensitivity
 SEEING what men and women actually do,
rather than relying on assumptions.
 HEARING their needs, priorities and
perspectives
 COUNTING the value of woman’s work
 RESPECTING full dignity of women and men
 CARING about women and men and what
happen to them.
Gender Sensitivity is
 Not a war of sexes
 Not an anti-male stance

 Cooperation between two

sexes, designed for

development
Gender Equality or Equality Between Women
and Men:
 Both women and men are free to develop their
personal abilities and make choices without the
limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and
prejudices.

 Different behavior, aspirations and needs of women

and men are considered, valued and favored equally.

 Their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will

not depend on whether they were born female or
male.
Gender Equity:

 Fairness of treatment for women and men

according to their respective needs.

 May include equal treatment or treatment that

is different but is considered equivalent in
terms of rights, benefits, obligations and
opportunities.
Conclusion:
There is no logic and reason why women

should be marginalized,
No reason behind subordination;

No justification behind stereotyping,

multiple burden and violence against

women!
In the eyes of the Law and in the eyes of

God, men and women are equal and should

be equal!