GAD101

Week 7
 Women, Development and the World
a. Sectoral Situationer – Gender permeates all aspects of society. This idea may be hard to imagine because oppression due
to gender has been so normalized that even those who experience the brunt of this system see no wrong in it. The sectoral
situationer will given an overview of the condition of women both in the Philippines and around the globe in relation to
oppression.

i. Women and the Economy: Women and Work – while both men and women have problems concerning work, women
have specific labor issues related to their gender. Moreover, women’s work is often invisibilized due to their socialized
gender roles.

1. There are fewer women than men at work, and most women only work in one sector.
2. Not only are fewer women employed, they also experience the pay gap – they are paid less than what men
receive for doing the same work, across al sectors and occupations.
3. While many issues concerning women and work have yet to be addressed, some issues have gained ground,
such as maternity and paternity leaves.
4. Women also experience gender biases in the Philippines, such as their “limited career choices, lack of support
facilities, sexual harassment, lack of protection for the informal sector and domestic workers, tenuous social
protection, limited monitoring on labor standards, and unremitting promotion of labor export policy”.
 Women, Development and the World
ii. Women and Education – Gender parity in primary education is present not just in the
Philippines, but also in the rest of the world, with girls performing better than boys in some
regions.

1.Issues in education involve the gendered nature of certain specializations. Women

may be underrepresented in STEM fields.
2.Goal No. 3, Taget 3A or the MDG is “to eliminate gender disparity in primary and
secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than
2015”
3.For every 100 boys, 69 girls dropped out of school during this period.
4.More girls were able to complete both primary and secondary education in school
year 2010-2011.
 Women, Development and the World
iii. Women and Health – access to health care and health services constitute issues surrounding women and
health, as well as a woman’s emotional, psychological, and and social wellness. Globally, maternal health has
improved considerably. However, pregnancy and childbirth are still the main health concerns of women aged
15-29.

1. The average life expectancy of women has risen to the age of 72 years, while it is 68 for men.
2. Issues surrounding health care in the Philippines involve the lack of access to healthcare facilities,
quality services, and actual health centers in the communities.
3. Women seeking treatment for abortion are still stigmatized, regardless of whether the abortion was
self-induced or spontaneous.
4. Teenage pregnancy in the Philippines has been increasing; specifically, a 65% rise from the years
2000 to 2010.
5. The groundbreaking Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RA 10354) aims
to address the gaps in reproductive health. It aims to be pro-women as it helps young girls take charge
of their own bodies and pushes for adolescents’ access to SRHR (sexual and reproductive health
rights) information.
 Women, Development and the World

iv. Violence against women (VAW) exists on a global

scale, and affects millions of women on a daily basis.
Statistics on VAW show the reach of this gender-based
epidemic.

Culture-specific violence such as bride burning, child

brides, or female genital mutilation is still practiced
despite its violation of a person’s basic human rights.
• https://www.google.com/search?q=female+genital+mutilation&rlz=1
C1CHBD_enPH919PH919&sxsrf=ALeKk02JSfPy5OLdEkJJbVkCcCLwAl1
Emw:1615038722506&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEw
iNy-
mK6JvvAhUTQd4KHZLnD6gQ_AUoAXoECA8QAw&biw=1135&bih=896
 Women, Development and the World
v. Women in Armed Conflict – armed conflict is seen as a critical area of concern in
terms of women’s participation in peace panels and peacekeeping, as well as in
terms of their victimization during conflict around the globe.
1.A special form of victimization occurs for women in armed conflict. Women
have gender-specific needs apart from the basic survival needs that other
victims of conflict have.
2.Due to women’s socialized gender roles as the keepers of culture and bearers
of a race, rape and sexual violence are seen as war tactics to instill fear in
communities.
3.Other issues face by women include subhuman evacuation conditions, forced
recruitment into rebel camps, killings, abductions, psychosocial trauma, and
hostage-taking.
 Women, Development and the World
vi. Women in Power and Politics – the number of women in parliament worldwide
has doubled in the years since the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action
(BPfA). However, women compose only 22% of the parliament today.

1.The Philippines made it to the top ten countries in the World Economic Forum
Global Gender Gap Index for 2015.
2.There is increased participation of female voters (28K) against male voters
(26K)
3.Some issues that hamper women’s participation in the elections involve sex-
role stereotypes and gendered assumptions.
4.Also, because women in politics are stereotyped by their roles, Filipino voter
often look for someone who is aggressive and assertive.
 Women, Development and the World
vii. The Magna Carta for Women is a groundbreaking law that
serves as the “comprehensive bill of rights for Filipino women”.
1.Likewise, the Women’s Empowerment, Development, and
Gender Equality Plan for 2013-2016 is a framework plan for
gender mainstreaming developed by the Philippine Commission
on Women.
2.Rampant sexism and violations against women on the basis of
gender and sex occur, especially on certain laws that are anti-
women. The Penal Code, for example, imposes a heavier
consequence for women who commit adultery versus men.
 Women, Development and the World
viii. Discrimination against the Girl-Child – the BPfA sees the girl-child as an
important sector that faces numerous forms of injustice.
1.Women experience their first forms of discrimination during childhood.
Because some cultures value boys over girls, girl-children may fall victim
to female infanticide and sex-selective abortion.
2.Despite child marriage being illegal in most countries, there is a
prevalence of forced marriages that involve marrying young girls to older
men.
3.Female circumcision is a harmful traditional practice that targets young
girls. And while this is a practice of certain tribes, it poses risks to the
girl’s health due to infection and bleeding.
 Women, Development and the World
ix. Women and the Environment – talks about the environment have remained
mostly gender-neutral before the BPfA. However, “women and the environment” has
been named as a critical area of concern due to the disproportional impact of
environmental issues on women.
1.While men and women are equally affected by access to water or the
exposure to disasters, women are more burdened. The caregiving, cooking
and cleaning assigned to them requires water and fuel in their homes.
2.Women are also excluded from land titles and ownership of other natural
resources.
3.During food shortages, women often prioritize the needs of their husband and
children over their own.
4.Women are not involved in decision-making bodies about the environment.
Women, Development and the World
x. Women and Disaster – the accelerating effects of climate change have
increased the unpredictability of the weather systems around the world.
1.Gender and disaster resilience are strongly correlated. Case studies
on post-disaster communities show that women and girls are more
susceptible to the effects of a tragedy.
2.Women are most often the ones who attend to the immediate
survival needs of their family members such as setting-up their
temporary shelter and lining up for relief goods from the government
and other organizations.
3.Post-disaster scenarios have incidences of gender-based violence
that include rape, human trafficking, and domestic abuse.
Women, Development and the World
xi. Women in the Indigenous Communities – there are 14-17 million indigenous
peoples in the Philippines belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups.

1.Historically, the indigenous peoples have been subjected to discrimination

and marginalization in the course of political processes and economic
activities.
2.Women in the indigenous communities face issues regarding land ownership.
3.In some cases, indigenous women deal with “discriminatory attitudes and
insensitivities” of mainstream health facilities”.
4.Child marriage is another pressing issue in the indigenous communities.
5.All IP groups face the fear of cultural erasure that may come with the push for
globalization.
Women, Development and the World

xi. Filipino Women in Other Sectors – Muslim

women in the country are affected by armed
conflict.

xii. When communities are displaced due to such

situation, women and children are the majority
among the internally displaced people.
Sources:
• https://www.capital-ges.com/maternity-paternity-and-parental-
leave-in-europe/
• https://sea.mashable.com/culture/13261/13-year-old-filipino-girl-
forced-to-marry-48-year-old-man-and-raise-kids-her-age
• https://www.international-divorcea.com/2016/11/philippines-laws-
on-adultery.html
Week 7 Output:

1 2 3
Research on a local or On a document with your Email your output to
international name and section, copy prof.lynnb@gmail.com
study/thesis/academic the TITLE, ABSTRACT or not later than APRIL 30,
paper discussing about SUMMARY, and LINK of at 5pm.
women’s issues on ANY your source.
of the given (12)
Sectorial Situationer.
End of Week 7
Thank you.