CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

“The best man for the job is a woman,” Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo,

the lone female presidential contender in the May elections, argues. Notwithstanding

her remarkable public service record, Robredo faces an uphill battle in winning over

voters. She, like other women in politics, has had to deal with persistent gender

preconceptions and prejudices during her candidacy and throughout her administration.

Regardless of the fact that more women are pursuing leadership roles, misogyny

still prevails in many democratic cultures, as gender stereotypes favor men as leaders.

Because administration is typically linked with masculine behavior — being forceful,

decisive, and competitive – one Philippine lawmaker symbolically alluded to men's

testicles as a prerequisite for would-be presidents. These attributes account for

strongman leaders' appeal, as voters trust their pledge of assurance in unpredictable

times. Women's leadership credentials will always be questioned as long as male

anatomy and hypermasculinity are demanded of state leaders. The principle of equality

of men and women was recognized in the United Nations Charter (1945), and

subsequently in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). In spite of the

international declarations affirming the rights and equality between men and women still

constitute a disproportionately small percentage of those participating in political

decision-making and leadership. Many global conferences have recognized that,

despite the progress made globally in improving status of women, gender disparities still
exist, especially in regard to participation in electoral politics. The low participation of

women in these positions affects their progress in improving the legal and regulatory

framework for promoting gender equality since very few women are influencing the

legislative process. The rationale for promoting women’s participation in political

dispensation is based on equity, equality and development.

Sexist language is an example of subtle sexism in that it consists of speech that

reinforces and perpetuates gender stereotypes and status differences between women

and men (Crawford 2001, p. 83 ). Sexist language is learned at an early age and can be

considered a linguistic habit. People may use sexist language for a variety of reasons.

They may do so because it is traditional, it is ingrained in current written and spoken

language and can be difficult to change, people lack knowledge about what constitutes

sexist language, people do not believe that such language is sexist, or people are

attempting to protect established social hierarchies (Ruscher, 2001).

The linguistic determinism theory proposes that language encapsulates

consciousness in that it not only orders our thoughts from infancy, but we also learn to

use language to express our basic needs and feelings (Troyer,1994). Its occurrence

and advancement are intently rooted in human beings' social attitudes and are

influenced to a significant degree by their social views and values, so people's socio-

cultural behaviors and attitudes, along with thoughts, are mirrored. Our civilization is

historically and sociologically male-oriented and male-centered. Misogyny is widely

perceived and witnessed. Women have long been viewed as lesser to males. Sexism in

language reflects sexism in the social world.

 A sex-specific jargon still governs the English language. Hunk is a euphemism

for males, and a chick is a term for women. It can be argued that the jargon used to

define men and women needs to be changed (Nneka, 2012). The apathetic shift from

gender discrimination in education to gender sensitivity is always a challenge for social

science. Even with the progress in gender parity, the Philippines is still a long way from

achieving gender inclusivity and equality in education (Morales, Avilla, & Espinosa,

2016). The Philippines has long been a country where people have been treated

differently depending on their gender.

This research looks at how sexism and misogyny have infiltrated the linguistic

system, which tends to prejudice towards Leni Robredo and her running for the highest

position in the country by keeping her obscure or dismissing her, while also reinforcing

male dominance ideals. The study reveals two major issues that females in this nation

face in general: confronting sexist and misogynistic behavior in everyday life, and

finding it challenging to abolish sexism from inside deeply embedded social and cultural

norms.

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the sexist and misogynistic language of the

commentaries on 2022 Presidentiable Leni Robredo. By analyzing few selected

commentaries during the three-month long campaign period on Leni Robredo’s

candidacy, the researchers can then conclude how highly existing sexism and misogyny

through language is in the Philippines – by then we can reinforce a new way process to

avoid this type of behavior which will be effective and will be celebratory for the women

in the country.
(contribution to the sustainable development goals) (relevance of addressing the gap)

Theoretical Background

This study presumes that sexism and misogyny highly exist through language in

the Philippines.

This study is anchored on the Linguistic Determinism. The linguistic

determinism proposes that language encapsulates consciousness in that it not only

orders our thoughts from infancy, but we also learn to use language to express our

basic needs and feelings (Troyer,1994). Its occurrence and advancement are intently

rooted in human beings' social attitudes and are influenced to a significant degree by

their social views and values, so people's socio-cultural behaviors and attitudes, along

with thoughts, are mirrored. Our civilization is historically and sociologically male-

oriented and male-centered. Misogyny is widely perceived and witnessed. Women have

long been viewed as lesser to males. Sexism in language reflects sexism in the social

world. Discrimination and/or hostility against persons based on their sex, rather than

their particular attributes, is widely accepted. It also refers to any and all structural

differences predicated on an individual's gender. Sexism has infiltrated the linguistic

system.

The Dominance Theory considered that men and women could express

language differently because there was an inequity of power relations between men and

women. Men dominated the language because men had more power in politics and

culture in social life. Due to their power, men could have control over many aspects,

including language use. This theory was supported by the findings of Hultz (1990).
 This study is also supported by the Republic Act No. 11313 or the Safe Spaces

Act “Bawal Bastos Law”. Catcalling, wolf whistling, unwanted sexual advances, and

other forms of sexual harassment in public places and online are all prohibited under

this law, which aims to provide safe spaces for women. This study is anchored with this

Republic Act wherein prohibits sexual harassment at any form most likely specific in

public spaces and online. This suggests the long running misogyny and sexism in the

Philippines that has been being keenly observed and widely experienced by women

across the Philippines and the world.

 The Sexist and Misogynistic Language
of The Commentaries on Leni
Robredo

Linguistic
Republic Act
Determinism
The Dominance No. 11313 or the
Theory
Theory  By Safe Spaces
(Robin Lakoff, By Act (Bawal
1970) Bastos Law) of
(Benjamin Lee
2017
Whorf, 1940)

Q1 Q2 Q3

The Gender-Inclusive
Language App

Product Development

Figure 1. Theoretical Framework

Statement of the Problem

The paper seeks to reveal the sexist and misogynistic language of the

commentaries on 2022 Presidentiable Leni Robredo. By analyzing few selected

commentaries during the three-month long campaign period on Leni Robredo’s

candidacy, the researchers can then conclude how highly existing sexism and misogyny

through language is in the Philippines.

Specifically, this paper aims to answer the following:

1. What are the impacts of sexist and misogynistic commentaries on Leni

Robredo’s candidacy?

1.1 social media (fb, twitter,)

2. What is the determining factor of misogyny?

2.1 word usage

2.2 phrases

3. What is the significance of using gender inclusive language?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For a better understanding of this study, the following terms are defined in the context of

this research.

Sexist.
Sexist

Misogynistic language

misogynistic commentaries

commentaries

gender inclusive language

candidacy

misogyny

campaign

language
Significance of the Study

Gender inclusivity is something that is very celebratory. In this study, the

researchers are aiming to address issues that are beneficial to women in any shape,

walks of life, color etc., to empower them by highlighting issues that are crucial in the

community, affecting them by specific capacity and volume. Through this study, the

researchers are also making this study as an eye opener for the men in power, ordinary

men and men in general by which they will be able to contemplate and have fair

treatment towards women. This study, may seem to be a women-friendly study but the

researchers look forward to the gender-inclusive language and fair justice towards every

gender and sexuality in general.

Definition of Terms