A Feminist critique of Lualhati Bautista's Bata, Bata… Pa'no ka Ginawa?

Summary:

The novel began with a chapter about the graduation day from kindergarten of Maya. A program
was held. In the beginning, everything in Lea's life was going well. But Lea's children were
growing-up and Lea could see their transformation. There were the changes in their ways and
personalities: Maya's curiosity was becoming more obvious every day, while Ojie was crossing
the boundaries from childhood to adulthood.

A scene came when Lea's former husband came back to take their son Ojie to the United States.
Lea felt the fear of losing both her children, when the fathers of her children decide to take them
away from her embrace.

In the end, both of Lea's children decided to choose to stay with her although she didn't force
them to. Another graduation day of students was the main event in the novel's final chapter,
where Lea was the guest-of-honor. Lea delivered a speech that discusses the topic of how life
changes, humans growing, and children turning to adults, from dependence to independence. Lea
leaves a message to her audience that graduation is not an end because it is a start to someone's
life.

Analysis:

The novel "Bata, Bata… Pa'no Ka Ginawa" shows the everyday life of Filipino women. Women
exist and move in a male dominated environment. It shows how children grow up and socialize
and interact in their gender, the concept of gender socialization.
Women who have children from two different fathers are typically stigmatized and marginalized
systematically and can be shown in chapter 15. Lea Bustamante is enrolling her daughter into the
first grade and notice that there is a deductible. But when the bill came through for the tuition,
she noticed that the deductible was not applied. When she asked for the reason for this, the
administration replied that it was not applicable because her child was "illegitimate". Labeling
children based on the legality of their parent's relationship being illegitimate and being a product
of that relationship is damaging to the child's mental state and could be a cause for bullying and
discrimination. Lea Bustamante challenges societal expectations on women and traditional
gender roles. She believes that women are capable of doing things that are traditionally done by
men. Lea has two men as partners, Raffy is the person who she is legally married to, and Ding
her current partner or "asawa sa banig". Considering the time frame the novel was set in, this was
greatly frowned upon. For her, this is not a major issue she must dwell upon, but society makes
her feel bad for her life choices which are largely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Lea Bustamante embodies the Sage archetype, she is focused on doing what she needs to, smart,
and is concerned with objectivity. This can be seen throughout the novel, especially in the parts
where she defends herself and her life choices. She also embodies the mother archetype, very
loving and concerned and caring for her two children, Maya and Ojie.

References:
1. http://www.womenlovepower.com/2016/03/an-explanation-of-the-7-basic-feminine-arch
etypes/
2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bata,_Bata%E2%80%A6_Pa%27no_Ka_Ginawa%3F
3. https://www.google.com/amp/s/filmappreciationblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/bata-bat
a-paano-ka-ginawa-a-film-critique/amp/