Note to voters: Filipinas in key posts yet to achieve ‘critical mass’

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In January 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte once more displayed a condescending attitude toward women when he dismissed the rumor that his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, would run as president, and said women were unfit for the role because of their emotional differences from men.

Months later, his daughter would file a certificate of candidacy for vice president in the May 2022 national elections, making her one of two women vying for the top two public posts. The other one is Vice President Leni Robredo, who is seeking election as the third woman president of the Philippines.

Duterte is well-known for sexist and misogynistic remarks that serve to reinforce cultural biases against women, especially in the realm of politics. Even now, for example, certain voters say they are hesitant to elect a woman as president, citing the entrenched notion that women are “weak leaders.”

These stereotypes affect the participation and representation of women in local and national politics, said Maria Ela Atienza, political scientist and professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

While the country may have advanced the political participation of women after electing two women as presidents, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) said the proportion of women in public office had yet to meet the minimum percentage needed for a minority group to achieve influence in decision-making.

For the May polls, there is only one female candidate each for the presidency and vice presidency out of a total of 10 and nine candidates, respectively.

Data from the Commission on Elections show that of the total 64 senatorial candidates, 52 are men and only 12, or 18.75 percent, are women.

In the National Capital Region, there are only 11 female candidates (17.19 percent) running for mayor out of the total 64 candidates, and only 13 out of 47 candidates (27.66 percent) are women running for vice mayor.

Women are also outnumbered in the race for the post of councilor, with only 161 (22.05 percent) against 569 male candidates.According to scholars, women in high positions must be at 30 percent to form the “critical mass” necessary to make an impact in political decision-making.

Atienza said that while numbers were important, substantive representation of women from a wider range of sectors was also needed.

“We should not concentrate only on women from the more educated, privileged [sector] and, in a way, those belonging to political dynasties,” she told the Inquirer, noting that the selection of women leaders must be democratized.

Most of the time, women who win in elections are those who belong to political dynasties and have resources, Atienza pointed out.

“If we have a few women representatives in government, they only represent the sectors that are more privileged, and perhaps they don’t experience the type of discrimination affecting [other] women,” she said, referring to groups from the poor and the indigenous peoples.

With more female leaders from various sectors in public office, there will be a more comprehensive representation of women and a better grasp of the problems affecting them, Atienza said.It can encourage men to discover and appreciate other issues, and “they can also see that it’s good to share responsibilities,” she said.

40-60 formula

To deal with the challenge of underrepresentation of women, she added, reforms in the party system must be implemented.

In its policy brief, the PCW recommended the adoption of a candidate quota using the 40-60 formula, in which neither gender is less than 40 percent or more than 60 percent of the number of the candidates in the party.

It also suggested formulating a rule that follows the “zebra” method, or alternate female-male listing of candidates who will become the representative of the party list.

“There’s also a need to reform the electoral system and party system,” Atienza said. “We need strong political parties that will prioritize platforms and focus on the inclusion of women as well as marginalized sectors.”

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