THESIS ANALYSIS

(LOCAL)

RITCHELLE C. BARRIENTOS
 TITLE
MATIBAY O MARUPOK?:
A CONTENT ANALYSIS ON THE
REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN
THE THREE HIGHEST-GROSSING
FILIPINO FILMS
 How many pages
175 are there?

- JUNE 2019
When was it published?
- UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINE
From which university and country? CEBU (PHILIPPINES)

- ADARRAH ROSE ANGULO

- ALLISON AUMAN Who are the writers?
- MARY GRACE TITO
 ABSTRACT

Since the appearance of women in film in as early as the 1910s, female cinematic portrayal has
been consistently characterized in an incomplete and hyper-traditional manner. This thesis
examines the representation of women in the top three highest grossing Philippine films through
a derivational multi-level analysis. By observing the Theory of Intratextuality, it identifies the
characterization of fourteen (14) female characters (determined by physical appearance and
attractiveness, socioeconomic status, language, personality and behavior, and interpersonal
relationships) to discern each portrayal’s prominence, treatment, and tone. With stereotypes
being perpetuated in film and influencing real-life perceptions of women, each portrayal is
categorized so as to probe into recurring trends, in keeping with the Feminist Film Theory.
 ABSTRACT

Through coding forms and Multimodal Discourse Analysis, the study reveals The Hows of Us
(2018), The Super Parental Guardians (2016), and Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad (2017) as
marked with subtle stereotypical traps and multifaceted progression in their representation of
women. This challenges old and clear-cut dichotomies in female portrayal, and confers a skeptical
echo in the question of matibay o marupok.
 Multimodal Women
Discourse Analysis Representation

Feminist Film Philippines

Theory

Filipino films Media

KEY WORDS
 This thesis aims to examine the
General representation of women in the top
Aim three highest grossing Philippine
films through a derivational multi-
level analysis.
 Research Objectives

1. Describe the portrayal of women in the three highest-grossing Filipino

films in terms of the following elements of characterization:
a. physical appearance and attractiveness d. personality and behavior
b. socio-economic status e. interpersonal relationships
c. language
2. Determine the common characteristics of women in the films in terms of
the following variables:
a. prominence b. treatment c. tone
3. Categorize the portrayals of women found in the three films.
Background of the Study

In early Philippine cinema, women were portrayed as powerless victims who couldn’t
stand threats and intimidation. The common conflict situation in many melodramas was the
love triangle where you would not find women who were rude, overbearing, and superior as
men. They were expected to be courteous, patient, and submissive to their domineering
husbands since they are portrayed as the inferior sex.
Women as mothers were often the peacemaker. If you happened to see a film that had
gang war scenes, there was always a woman beside the antagonist male character who
would speak sweetly and convince him to keep calm. This is probably in congruence with
what Brittan (1989) referred to as a “necessary convention” wherein society virtually spoils the
women character through stereotypes.
Background of the Study

Although women in films attract male audiences because of the so-called “woman’s body
power,” the birth of the famous superhero Darna gave Filipino moviegoers a new side of
women when she had her action debut—in a series of action films—in Fernando Poe Senior’s
Royal Films production, Darna (1951).
On the other hand, the current and previous decades have witnessed the apparent rise of
high-profile films featuring feisty and powerful female protagonists. This is seen in the popular
reception of The Hunger Games (2012) franchise, the Divergent (2014) series, Maleficent
(2014), and the Resident Evil (2002) franchise.
Background of the Study

Although cinema in recent years has presented women more diversely than in decades past, it has
been shown that women in films continue to be shown in traditional roles as wife, mother, and lover to a
man (Lang, 2015). More often than not, they are depicted as overly emotional characters who are
dependent on others, especially in comparison to roles normally assigned to ambitious male characters
(Murphy, 2015). In addition, many films geared toward female audiences habitually turn out to be
disappointing in terms of how unrealistic and unrelatable they are—stories lead to outcomes reminiscent
of women’s self-sacrifice in the 20th century, encouraging the audience to identify with the female figures
who are victims or portrayed as helpless on screen (Murphy, 2015). Today, as Philippine cinema
approaches its hundredth year in history, has the same image become slowly overturned, or persistently
ingrained?
Background of the Study

Despite being named as one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, the
Philippines still has a long way to go in completely dismantling socialized gender roles. In
2017, the country was tenth globally on the World Economic Forum’s ranking in gender parity.
In the Asia Pacific Region, the Philippines has been making the most progress in diversifying
the labor sector, with a ratio of 0.96 female to male in leadership positions, and 1.42 women
per man in technical and professional jobs (McKinsey Global Institute, 2018). In its profile of
violence against women, the country has a recorded 18% of women compared to the region’s
average of 28%. In contrast to the best global rate of 6%, however, this is an area that leaves
much to be desired.
Background of the Study

In March 2018, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that there are at least two women
every day in Manila who experience harassment in the forms of “acts of lasciviousness,
sexual harassment, rape and violence.” President Rodrigo Duterte himself drew repeated
condemnation for his insults and misogynistic remarks: a rape joke about an Australian nun,
another joke about ordering soldiers to shoot female rebels in the vagina because “they are
nothing without it,” and an assurance to soldiers fighting ISIS affiliates that they could rape up
to three women and he would protect them.
Background of the Study

Filipino filmmakers, in response to the growing awareness of women’s movements, have

tried to revolutionize the portrayal of women in a variety of ways. Particularly, Filipino indie
films across the 21st century challenge some current cinematic representations of
motherhood by an optimistic staging of the mother character. What they have proven so far is
the fact that motherhood, as reflected in independent movie production, is shifting its form,
presentation, and packaging (Alfajora). As much as the historical forces operating in society
influence the contemporary social context, it is apparent that in turn, Filipino films of the 21st
century shape women’s lives as people see these movies.
 With widely-received films representing women and their lives, there is a
need to raise the discourse on this representation in Philippine society. In
comparison with men in films, how often are women represented in
Philippine cinema? In what ways are they represented? Are these accurate
Problem
and realistic representations? Given the rise of feminist movements
Statement
around the world and in the country, as well as advancing perceptions of
women, do Filipino films reflect these social changes? Or do they do the
opposite? Through content analysis, this study analyzed how women are
represented in the top three highest-grossing Filipino films as of the time of
research. These films are: The Hows of Us (2018), The Super Parental
Guardians (2016), and Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad (2017).
 Theoretical Framework

Theory of Intratextuality
The representations in media presented as texts is framed in many ways, as Daniel Chandler puts
in his book Semiotics the Basics (2007). Hall’s (1997) assessment of Ferdinand de Saussure’s
semiotics brings attention to the importance of the reference to real-life concepts between the
representer and the represented in such media representations. These concepts, functioning as
texts in media, interact in a system dependent on social and cultural context, in a phenomenon
that is called intertextuality. And while intertextuality is the non-isolation of texts from one another
in their creation, its outgrowth, focusing on the internal relations within a text, is intratextuality.
This meaning within textual landscapes, Palmer (2002) says, is gained through a “full realization of
their overlapping and interpenetrating internal contexts and signs that express concepts and
archetypal motifs” (pg. 1).The principles of intratextuality were helpful in guiding this study to glean
the intended meaning—a perception of women as portrayed in media—communicated through the
organized codes present in a text such as film, in line with the research objectives.
 Theoretical Framework

Feminist Film Theory

In examining women’s place in the manner of cinematic representation, Feminist Film Theory
was used to focus on the function of female characters, particularly film narratives or genres that
hold stereotypes, as a reflection of how society view women. Smelik (2007, p. 491) explained that
through the years, “the important theoretical shift is from an understanding of cinema as reflecting
reality to a view of cinema as constructing a particular, ideological, view of reality.” Feminist
critiques further explore the common stereotypes that are present in films, in addition to their
screen time and the extent to which the women were shown as “active or passive.”
 Theoretical Framework

Feminist Film Theory

The theory of Laura Mulvey's now-classic essay, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"
(1975), which claimed that men and women are differentially positioned by cinema: men as
subjects identifying with agents who drive the film's narrative forward, women as objects for
masculine desire and fetishistic gazing.
This theory is consistent with this study since the focus of the researchers is on the portrayal
of women in Philippine cinema. The three highest-grossing Filipino films were scrutinized to look
at the “realism” in women representation in the local film industry.
 METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN
The research is qualitative in nature, focusing on the content
analysis of the selected films and their representation of
women. In this study, Multimodal Discourse Analysis served as
the specific approach in determining women’s cinematic
representation. With the Theory of Intratextuality in mind, the
unique insight offered by the multimodal approach aided this
study in determining how diverse modes work together in
shaping the meaning of the text as far as representation of
women is concerned. Through this method, the study
scrutinized the meaning-making process in the films by
breaking down the examination of broad multimodal texts into
more specific areas of study.
 DATA COLLECTION

KIND OF DATA
The kind of data that was collected by the
researchers is a film. The three films, namely The
Hows of Us (2018), The Super Parental Guardians
(2016), and Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad
(2017) were chosen on the basis of criteria that
required the film being cited as one of the three
highest-grossing Filipino films and the availability
of a copy of the film to review for data analysis.
 DATA COLLECTION

PROCESS
The three films were acquired from online streaming sites and
local video rental stores. The synopses of the said films were taken
from their video labels and official websites.
Each film was viewed independently by the researchers. To
examine the characterization of female roles in the selected Filipino
films, Multimodal Discourse Analysis was incorporated. Through
coding schemes, the researchers looked at the characterization by
physical appearance, language, personality, and relationships with
other characters. For each scene or text, the elements or modes were
documented. From here, the common characteristics were assessed,
categorized, and summarized by the researchers.
 DATA COLLECTION

PROCESS
A total of fourteen (14) female characters were selected by the
researchers for analysis. Apart from all being on the film’s cast list and
provided identification as female in the film’s narrative, these
characters were also selected on the basis of having been given
screen time deemed by the researchers as sufficient, not only in terms
of duration, but also of level of female characterization, comprising
indicators of such. A few female characters listed among the cast,
mostly minor and cameo roles, were thus excluded by the researchers
for a productive and more informed analysis. Table 5 lists all fourteen
characters and their respective roles in the films.
 DATA COLLECTION

NO PARTICIPANTS
 DATA COLLECTION

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
The data gathered was obtained by utilizing accessible Filipino
films in the Philippines that have grossed the highest figures in
Philippine box office history. The films were acquired through
online streaming sites, rental stores, and copy loans. Using
computers or television sets, each of the films were viewed
separately by each of the researchers, then together, and then
viewed repeatedly. This allowed for both individual exposure
and social reorientation. The repeated exposure was also a
condition of the viewing experience that observes an assertion
in the principles of media representation, which is that repeated
viewing will impose a perception of the representation to be
natural.
ANSWERS TO THE OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the portrayal of women in the three
highest-grossing Filipino films in terms of the
following elements of characterization:
a. physical appearance and attractiveness
b. socio-economic status
c. language
d. personality and behavior
e. interpersonal relationships
Good-looking women or women with above average looks was how
most of the female characters, major or minor, were presented in terms of
physical appearance and attractiveness. They spoke assertively and
aggressively, and were loud and clear more than meek and soft in their
verbal and non-verbal language. All of them belonged to different
socioeconomic classes, from the working poor, middle-class, to the affluent,
with most belonging to either the poor or rich. Aggressiveness extended to
their personalities and behavior, as well as actions based on emotions, which
presented them in a negative manner.The characterization of the female
characters’ interpersonal relationships showed familial relationships as the
most prominent representation, in line with the films’ focus and themes on
familial bonds.
 For prominence, most of the female characters are named in their
2. Determine the common characteristics of
respective films but only three of them have major roles and in one way or
women in the films in terms of the following
another, all of these women are portrayed in a bad light with no
variables:
backgrounder most of the time. Action-filled comedy and romantic drama are
a. prominence
the main genres where negative, simple, and one-dimensional portrayals are
b. treatment
quite a trend when it comes to treatment. Moreover, straightforward, light,
c. tone
and sarcastic portrayals are highly emphasized, where body-shaming is
packaged as a comedic value. The overall analysis based on the variables of
prominence, treatment, and tone concludes that we are still far from the ideal
feminist social change as far as the selected films are concerned. The
apparent dominance of negative and one-sided portrayal does not reflect the
complex persona of women in real life.
 Out of the fourteen (14) characters analyzed, six (6) were categorized
3. Categorize the portrayals of women found in
according to the non-aberrant derived categories, while eight (8) characters
the three films.
deviated from the same model. These characters were revealed to be
portrayed in six (6) new categorical representations crafted by the
researchers. While majority of the old stereotypes were retained, the
researchers discovered a greater amount of divergent characters that do not
embody the previous categories. Many of the women were depicted as a
mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, wife, and granddaughter but they
were also, and often at the same time as their familial roles, a lover, a friend,
a colleague at work, a fashion icon, an aspiring doctor, a housemaid, an
educator, and a supervillain.
RECOMMENDATION
 Methodological Issues

In looking at new categories as tropes in Philippine cinema, the researchers suggest a larger
sample size for analysis to bolster the study’s credibility and make it more comprehensive. Films
with the same genre are highly recommended for consistency in data analysis.
As this study employed content analysis, future studies may use interactive ways of data
gathering, such as surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) in order to explore
the different ways an audience receives the text. Future researchers can also examine if the
portrayals in films are those that viewers can identify with or debunk.
 Methodological Issues

With this study’s focus on women’s characterization in the films, future researchers can
choose to study the element of plot as a main and standalone—not just contextual—indicator of
female portrayal to assess tropes and patterns in the placement of women in fictional narratives.
Moreover, since this study deals with fictional images, the researchers also recommend future
studies to explore real-life portrayals in media, such as those in newspapers, reality TV shows,
magazines, news broadcasts, etc.
 Practical Issues

For future studies, the researchers suggest looking at how exactly film affects or influences
individual perceptions on women. Studying the subsequent impact of films on the perceptions on
women will allow researchers to gain insight on the applicable functions of the media
representation determined in this study.
Do you think it is possible for you to replicate this study? Why
or why not?
Yes, it is possible for me to replicate this study because of the
following reasons:

- The original research questions are important and can contribute to

the body of information supporting the discipline.

- I have access to adequate information related to original study to

be able to design and execute a replication.

- The options for the kind of data is unlimited and is accessible

online.

- To have participants is optional.

Thank You!