'A woman's place is in the struggle' feminism and nationalism in the Philippines

Abstract

The Philippines was one of many Third World countries under an authoritarian regime in the late 1960s. It was ruled by a strongman, Ferdinand Marcos, who came to power in 1965 and was ousted in 1986. The last fourteen years of Marcos' twenty-one year rule were to be the most repressive in recent (written) history. And yet, 'authoritarian policies not only engendered dramatic changes in women's social, economic and political roles but ultimately, in their consciousness as women' (Alvarez 1990:37). Scores of Filipino women became politicized during the anti-dictatorship struggle that swelled in and around Manila in the early 1970s culminating in the assassination of Benigno Aquino in 1983. The Aquino assassination brought out upper middle class women onto the streets. Within this larger nationalist and anti-dictatorship struggle which brought together Filipinos of various political persuasions or 'colours' emerged a progressive women's movement. The progressive women's movement began with strong nationalist overtones but acquired a feminist complexion in the late 1980s. But it has not shed its nationalist tendencies, simply because it cannot. The women's movement in the Philippines is a social movement attacking social structures in order to effect political change. The progressive wing of the women's movement attacks existing social and economic structures in order to effect political change and to open up new directions for women. This thesis is about how and why a progressive women's movement developed in the Philippines. It also shows how the country's socioeconomic conditions influenced the nature of women's political responses in the Philippines. The study also analyses the role played by women during the anti-Marcos struggle and in the transition to democratic elections in 1986. The analysis includes how specific political conjunctures have affected the development of the progressive women's movement. The political and economic crisis of the Marcos dictatorship precipitated student and urban mass movements. This provided fertile ground for women's social criticism. The economic crisis shaped the social agenda of the women's movement and provided it with a mass base. When democracy was restored and political parties, rather than cause-oriented groups, gained centre stage, the progressive women's movement had to change its strategy to avoid being marginalized. This study charts the emergence of the progressive women's movement in the Philippines. Chapter One puts the progressive women's movements in the context of the Third World feminist literature that discusses differences between Western and Third World Feminism. Chapter Two provides a background to this study which shows how specific historical changes have affected Filipina gender ideology. The Third Chapter of the thesis presents the history and diversity of women's organizations in the Philippines including the 'first wave' of the women's movement. Chapter Four examines the political and economic consequences of Marcos' policies and their impact on women. It aims to show how these policies changed women's social, political and economic roles in society. Chapter Five is on the progressive women's movement, its emergence and development. The Sixth Chapter discusses two case studies of women's groups located within the progressive wing and analyses their activities. Many progressive women supported the election campaign of Corazon Aquino as the country's first elected women president. The relationship between the women's movement and the first woman president is discussed in Chapter Seven. It describes women's participation in the 1986 constitution-making process and the influence the 'right of the unborn' issue had on the development of the movement. The final Chapter contains concluding remarks. Show more