"Filipina" by Risha Sam Sy

“I'm so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man.” These are two lines from Taylor Swift’s The Man. Now you may be asking, “is Taylor even Filipina?” Well no, but these lines from her song perfectly encapsulates what it is to be a woman regardless of where you live. Being a woman has always been a struggle, moreso in a conservative country like the Philippines. Facing countless inequalities on a daily basis, women have to work twice as hard to be leveled with men. 

People say that being a woman is not easy and I couldn't agree more. As a young Filipina, I’ve already faced the unending culture of gender inequality in the country. Growing up was a lot more different from my brothers or other guys in my life, how they could get away with things like wearing “showy” clothes but when I would, it would be seen as something inappropriate. Having to do twice as much housework just because I’m a woman and you know, that’s what women do. How I presented myself would also affect others perceiving me, being a girl and being extroverted and loud was never ideal and being constantly told to “act properly” while for guys it would be “boy will be boys”. Again, let’s take Taylor for an example. She was called names and was bullied for dating around but if men did the same thing it was just that they “played the field” before settling and committing to one person. The expectations and pressure on younger girls to be “perfect” or living up to the beauty standard was immense. Women all over the country face inequalities from their homes, to school, and even workplaces. In our senior high school batches, young women with big potential are so underrepresented considering how there are barely any girls in the Science, Technology, and Mathematics strand. It may or may not sound whiny and wrong, but the biggest challenge of women is being a woman. It puts you into a disadvantage simply because you’re you. The patriarchal society imposed by the Spanish occupation was adapted even into the current ages. The pre-colonial society valued women as the highest leaders and had the highest worths. It is sad to see that the women running our country have been reduced by others to such small beings. Women can be much more than the traditional homemakers that our outdated culture has labeled all these centuries. 

Though the Philippines has a long way to go, we can see the progress over the past centuries and the continuous changes in developing a healthier environment for women. Change always starts within oneself and if we want change we would also have to work on our internalized misogyny. There are times we may not realize it but passive comments such as stating how other women for “wearing too much makeup” supports the toxic culture of pitting women against each other making us more vulnerable. As women of one country and one world we should empower each other instead of bringing each other down to create a place where no one faces discrimination and inequalities.