A month for women

Why do we have to dedicate a month for women?  “It’s a man’s world!” it has been said. Women were  less visible in the past,  limited to the home, the private sphere while men dominated the public sphere.  In the writing of histories focusing on the rise and fall of kingdoms with wars as the main events, females had limited exposure. Only in cultures where women’s work was considered of great value to the economy as in the case in pre-colonial America, were women recognized. Misconceptions about  females like the beliefs that they had smaller brains or had no soul also marginalized  them.

In the early Asian period of our history, females played a significant role as priest and healer. Among the T’bolis a female played the special role of keeper of their group’s narratives. The Spanish arrived with the medieval, patriarchal culture. The native female priest and healer was replaced by the male friar who dominated most aspects of society. Because native females could not be in the beaterios for the Spanish and Chinese mestizas, Ignacia del Espiritu Santo founded the Beaterio de la Compaña de Jesus. But this school only prepared them to “take care of their husbands and children.”

Females with all their talents and great potential need to be mainstreamed. We need to open the possibilities for women. They have the right to follow their dreams and make their dreams come true. Although its realization is a challenge for women and the entire society, it will also provide positive changes for males as well as society as a whole.

When women play a more active role in society, men’s burdens will be less and they will be less stressed. Because this is a case of breaking gender stereotypes, we are actually opening possibilities for both women and men. Women who are the new entrants in politics will be a source of fresh, exciting ideas and untried liberating processes. In a democracy, the decisions will earn more validity with women having greater representation because they actually compose one half of the population. Besides women can best express the needs and interests of women, children, and their families.

But for this to happen husbands, children, schools, the church, the business sector and even the government will need to cooperate in unburdening  women of their many domestic tasks. Both the government and the business sectors will need to be inclined to set up nurseries and daycares in the work places. Husbands and elder brothers, not only elder sisters, will have to spend more time with the little ones in the family– cheering in their games, seeing the teacher, visiting the dentist, supervising them as they work on assignments.

The entire community needs to fully realize the situation of women, their problems, and the processes by which they become empowered. Women advocates have been doing this the entire year. But with the centuries of male domination a month focused on women’s concerns provides more opportunities to tackle the challenge.

In UP, the Filipino class of Prof. Rosario Montano of UP High opened March with two Palanca award winning plays, “Itim and Kulay ng Paruparo” and “Bubungang Lata” dramatizing the economic and emotional challenges of Third World Women.  On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Visual Communication Class of Palme Pe-Tudtud opened their painting exhibit on violence against women with Dean Liza Corro and Dr. Rhodora Masilang-Bucoy cutting the ribbon. On the same day the Gender class of Dr. Rhodora Masilang-Bucoy combined forces with the Psychology class of  Edna Lee.  Here the psychological impact of violence. The students and faculty members then performed the one billion rising dance. The activity closed with a display of artistic expressions on womanhood. Members of the UP Gender and Development Committee joined Ayala Center’s “I am Woman” program and exhibit.

On March 21 Sidlak Region VII Gender Resource Center will have a round table discussion: Conversations on Women and Transformative Politics. This will be held in the afternoon in AVR 2 of UP. All Sidlak members are urged to be a part of our Women’s Month Activity. A vegan potluck merienda cena will close the celebration.