Women in the Philippines

Contemporary roles

Modern-day Philippine women play a decisive role in Filipino families. They usually handle the money, act as religious mentors, and can also make all the important family decisions.

Urban setting

In the past, firms and businesses generally hire Filipino women for less pay and secretarial functions. But at present, Filipino women are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts in the business realm. This is due to the political and economic changes at the global and national levels in urban society that have led to the growth of export-based industries and the service sector, which then created more opportunities for Filipino women.

About one-third of businesses in the Philippines are operated by Filipino women. Many Filipino businesswomen in the urban sector can be found in the hospitality sector, marketing, publishing, real estate, transportation, financial consulting, trade and services, electronics and appliances, and much more.

Rural and tribal clan setting

In rural areas, the Filipino woman runs the household even if she should have a job. The children approach her for money and help. She is the family's treasurer. She supports the children’s educational needs. For non-family members who require support, the wife is the person to be approached. However, the wife is neither the person who makes the final decision or the person who hands out the money.

Juan Flavier, a physician, an authority on community development, and a former Philippine senator, described in his book, Doctor to the Barrios, that "whether some (Filipino) men are willing to admit it or not"... "rural women in the Philippines wield considerable authority," the housewife in particular. This is especially if the housewife, who is often referred to as the Ilaw ng Tahanan (Light of the Home), is convinced of the benefits that will be gained from a certain practice such as the concept of family planning in the barrios. Flavier also mentioned that "In the Philippine barrio, the one responsible for the home" and its management "is the wife... she holds the key to... household... development."

Marriage and relationships

Courtship in the Philippines is conservative in nature. The man will have to court the woman and prove his love for her before he can win her heart. Sometimes the courtship period would last for years. This however, is a very old fashioned idea. In the bigger more urbanized cities, this conservative courtship idea is not so emphasized as much. Parents prefer their daughter to be courted in their home, so they can have a chance to know the man. It is during the courtship period that the man would put his best foot forward to create a good impression on the woman and her family. Generally, the man is being measured on his being a gentleman, ability to respect the woman's family, and servitude (the extent of what he was willing to do to prove his love for the woman). Usually, the woman is courted by several men and will have to choose the best from among her suitors. Courtship and relationships remain the same for rural and urban areas despite the modern western influence.

The Philippines and Vatican City are the only countries in the world to prohibit divorce (the Philippines allows divorce for Muslims). The Philippines is one of the few non-Muslim majority countries to maintain a criminal law against adultery; and the law differentiates between female infidelity (Article 333 called Adultery) and male infidelity (Article 334 called Concubinage, which has a more narrow definition and is punished less severely). Furthermore, Article 247 called Death or physical injuries inflicted under exceptional circumstances, provides that the killing of a spouse and/or of the partner of the spouse caught in the act of extramarital sex by the other spouse, as well as the killing of a daughter caught by the parent in the act of premarital sex, are to be punished only by the symbolic punishment of destierro (banishment from a geographical area for a period of time). These laws are based on old Spanish laws that were repealed in Spain in 1963 (the "crime of passion" law) and in 1978 (the adultery law). The Philippines is also one of 20 countries that still has a marry-your-rapist law (that is, a law that exonerates a rapist from punishment if he marries the victim after the attack).

Women in the pre-colonial Philippines enjoyed nearly equal status with men. Prior to colonization, both men and women could get a divorce for the following reasons: failure to meet family obligations, childlessness, and infidelity. Children, regardless of gender, and properties were equally divided in a divorce. Since a man needed to pay a dowry to the woman's family, she was required to give it back should she be found at fault. If the man was at fault, he then lost the right to get back his dowry.

In the Philippines, society valued offspring regardless of gender. Female children were as valuable as male ones, mainly because they recognized that women are as important as men. Parents provide equal opportunities to their children. Filipino daughters can also go to school, inherit property, and even become village chiefs like Filipino sons.

Babaylan in 21st century

The Babaylan figure has resurfaced in Filipino diasporic communities as the indigenous Filipino concept is borrowed as a tool for decolonization practices and post-colonial discourse today. The Babaylan tradition and Babaylan-inspired practices are seen as an indigenous spiritual path among Filipinos in the Philippines and in the diaspora as a means to remembering relations to their homeland and healing.

Female genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is performed in the Philippines in the predominately Muslim Bangsamoro region in the south of the country. While there is no official data on FGM in the Philippines, surveys suggest that 80–86% of Muslim girls and women in Bangsamoro have undergone FGM.

Women at work

Traditionally, rural and tribal women have performed household related chores, while heavier work was done by men. In modern times, the significant toll of domestic labor has been an impediment to women in the workforce.

In 19th-century Manila

Below are some of the work that women in Manila performed during the 19th century:

Water Carrier

Aguadoras or women water carriers were responsible for transporting large clay jars filled with water from distant and cleaner sources such as the Marikina River. This was because Manila's rivers had no potable water, and the supply from the Carriedo Waterworks, which was Manila's first water system and only created in 1882, was limited. These women had to travel to nearby towns to fetch water, which they brought back to the city in water-filled jars, for family consumption or sold for profit.

Betel Leaf and Nut Seller

Betel nut chewing played a significant role in Philippine society in the past. Besides being beneficial for health, chewing betel leaf was a popular hobby among Filipinos.The high demand for betel leaves and betel nuts led to the emergence of buyeras. They wrapped betel nut and lime in betel leaves, and sold their goods along the pavements.

Milk Seller

Lecheras or women milk sellers played a crucial role in a time when refrigerators were not yet available. They roamed on streets, and had to balance a small jar of milk on their head and carry a bottle for transferring milk.

Cigarette Maker

Tobacco was as a major cash crop in the Philippines, leading to the establishment of factories. Cigarreras or women cigarette makers were predominantly employed in these factories. Their tasks involved preparing and wrapping tobacco leaves, cutting tobacco ends, counting production, and arranging the tobacco in boxes.

20th-21st centuries

In the early 1900s, the female workforce in the Philippines was also a highly debated topic during workers’ conferences. In 1910, during the first Congress of Labor, the decision to enact a law that would regulate the employment of women and children was approved due to poor working conditions (“dark and ill-ventilated rooms, smoke-filled factories”, etc.) for women and children. Then, in March 1923, “An Act to Regulate the Employment of Women and Children in Agricultural and Non-Agricultural Establishments and Other Workplaces” was passed to oversee the welfare of women and children. In 1960, under the Department of Labor, the Bureau of Women and Minors was created and was responsible for the promotion, development, and the protection of the welfare of working women and minors. Since then, more acts were made to oversee the welfare of women workers, as seen in both the 1935 and 1973 constitutions.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies reported in 2025 that "women are three to four times more likely than men to cite housework as their reason for not seeking employment." The majority of Filipino women also sought to limit their childbearing because it increased their domestic burdens.

In the workforce, millions of Filipino women often work in the unstable, low-paid informal job market, in positions such as street vendors and domestic workers. The Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development has said that these workers lack job security, fair wages and benefits.

Women in arts

In his paintings of Filipino women, the Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of beauty in favor of Filipino ideals. He said that the women he painted have "a rounded face, not of the oval type often presented to us in newspapers and magazine illustrations. The eyes should be exceptionally lively, not the dreamy, sleepy type that characterizes the Mongolian. The nose should be of the blunt form but firm and strongly marked. ... So the ideal Filipino beauty should not necessarily be white complexioned, nor of the dark brown color of the typical Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type which we often witness when we met a blushing girl."

Women in politics

Compared to other countries, Filipino women have gained and enjoyed equal rights with men. They have become presidents, senators, congresswomen, mayors. They have served in government offices, and have held cabinet positions for presidents. Filipino women have proven that they are capable of carrying out responsibilities and tasks as well as their male counterparts. There are 48 women Representatives elected in the 15th Congress (2010 national election). They accounted for (21.6%) of the total 222 Representatives as members of the Lower House. In 2010 Senatorial election, there were 14 women who ran out of 61 candidates (23.0%), of which two entered the top 12 winning senators (16.7%).

The number of women who engage in politics are smaller compare to their male counterparts. This was primarily because engagement in politics is considered "dirty."

A recent study revealed that there is a re-emergence of the empowerment of Filipino women through the political process, just as they were prior to the arrival of conquerors from Spain. Philippine women are rediscovering their strengths. Filipino women had been successful in implementing policies by becoming executive staff members, advisers to politicians, and as advocates within non-governmental organizations.

Modern-day Filipino women are making strides in electoral politics by initiating more female-oriented programs. They are performing well as leaders, although generally, Filipino women still often earn political seats by having fathers and husbands who are politically connected, a "dynasty system" that hinders other Filipino women from joining the electoral process. Other factors that prevent full-engagement of other well-qualified Filipino women from the Philippine political scene are the expense in politics and the importance of the family name.

Participation of Filipino women in Philippine politics was encouraged during the Beijing Declaration in 1995 at the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women. In February 2005, however, a United Nations review on the progress of Philippine women and their role in politics revealed that despite "an increase in the quality of female politicians, there was not enough increase in" the number of women participants in government activities. From 1992 to 2001, Filipino women had been elected as local chief executives, functioning as mayors, governors, and captains of villages. One influential factor contributing to the increasing number of female politicians, is the elevation of Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Philippine women Presidents.

Women's movement

The women's movement organized in the early 20th-century in organizations such as the Asociacion Feminista Filipina (1904) the Society for the Advancement of Women (SAW) and the Asociaction Feminist Ilonga, who campaigned for women's suffrage and other rights for gender equality.

Prominent women

Prominent Filipino women writers include:

• Corazon Aquino
• Gabriela Silang
• Melchora Aquino
• Lualhati Bautista
• Leni Robredo

In popular culture

• Novels
  • Three Filipino Women
  • Ermita: A Filipino Novel