In a culture where machismo is alive and well and where sexism is often validated by social norms and tradition, Filipino women are nevertheless said to be the most empowered and the most politicized members of their gender in Asia. This is perhaps due in part to their longer history of activism (Filipino historians cite the founding of “Asociacion Feminista Filipina” in 1905 as the birth of feminism in the Philippines) or simply to a culture that many say is “overtly patriarchal but covertly matriarchal”.

The Philippines is a country of sharp contrasts and paradoxes. And the role of women in Philippine society is one area where this depiction is most palpable. While it can be said that Filipino women have gained more leverage than their other Asian sisters in elevating their status in society, their fight against oppression and exploitation is far from won. They may have come a long way but they still have far to go.

The Filipino women’s first steps toward more visibility in society were powered by their vital role in the family. The country’s pioneer feminists recognized that as wives and mothers in a culture that inherently respected women in these roles, they had a solid place from which to approach the task. And they concluded that they had to be better educated in order to better educate the society about their issues and concerns. Education would give them a voice that was not only louder but also a lot clearer. As Sister Mary John Mananzan, the famous Filipino feminist nun, said in “Challenge to the Inner Room: Selected Essays and Speeches on Women”: “For good or ill, the women, especially in the Philippines, almost have a monopoly in educating the nation’s citizenry from birth to maturity. The task of education in the family is almost exclusively the mother’s responsibility. Statistics show that there are by far more women than men teachers in the Philippine educational system. It is therefore imperative that enlightened education entail re-evaluation of…. society’s expectations of male and female roles.” Indeed, much of the progress in empowering Filipino women can be attributed to mothers creating a home environment where their sons and daughters regard themselves as equals and where girls and boys are subjected to the same value system and standards of behavior.

Education is definitely one of the areas where Filipino women have taken the greatest strides. According to statistics, women have a higher literacy rate than men and more women than men reach and complete college education. This has resulted in more and more women professionals in both the public and private sectors. These data, however, have yet to translate into real equality in the workplace. Men still far outnumber women in top-level executive positions. Cultural bias and gender stereotyping are still formidable barriers.

Filipino women have worked hard to carve their rightful niche in society. Forwarding their cause has not been easy but progress has definitely been made. Today, the road may remain full of obstacles but it is still being taken. The words may be continually drowned but they are still being spoken. The voices may be silenced time and again but they are still being raised. In the big picture, that is a very good thing.