SOUTH-EAST ASIA INSTITUTE OF TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY

FAIRVIEW

MISOGYNY AS A GROWING ISSUE IN THE PHILIPPINES: STUDYING FILIPINO

WOMEN’S INVOLVEMENT IN EVERYDAY GENDER INEQUALITY AND SEXISM
IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Humanities and Social Sciences Strand in
Practical Research 1

By:

Ducosin, Glenn Dell

Anchita, Althea Joy

Calderon, Heleana Celline

Ebuenga, JL

Mondido, Karl Syrein

Nepomuceno, Margarette Angeli

Tecson, AJ

TO BE SUBMITTED TO

MS. JOCEL TORRES

DATE SUBMITTED

JUNE 07, 2022

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers never had an easy time completing their investigation. They devote all
of their time and energy to this research. Now that the study is complete, the researchers
would like to acknowledge everyone who has supported them from the start and been a part
of their road to success.

The researchers would like to thank and acknowledge God, who has been present since
the beginning. Also, the researchers are grateful to give such an opportunity to research.
Without God’s presence and guidance, nothing will be easy.

The researchers also express gratitude to their loved ones for meeting their financial
needs and providing support for this research. The researchers also express gratitude to
those who provided them with motivation and inspiration to complete this study,
particularly all of the friends of the researchers who contributed ideas and moral support to
this study.

Lastly, the researchers are acknowledging their Practical Research 1 Teacher, Ms. Jo cel
Torres, for providing guidance and for correcting any grammatical errors.

iii
 DEDICATION

This study is dedicated to every woman who experienced and still experiencing
misogyny. This research was done to make everyone aware that misogyny should not be
practiced. We must fight the overt and covert misogyny that occurs among women.

We also dedicate it to God, asking him to guide our research and provide us with the
strength we need to finish it. We thank God for everything we have for this study because
of the wisdom, knowledge, and strength he have given our group. This is all for you, our
Lord.

And finally, this study is dedicated to our research teacher, Ms. Jocel Torres, as a source
of inspiration for our research. We appreciate your dedication in teaching research that we
may apply in the future, in providing direction, and in inspiring every student to perform
research.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRELIMINARIES

A. Acknowledgement iii

B. Dedication iv

C. Table of Contents v

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

A. Background of the Study 1

B. Statement of the Problem 2

C. Significance of the Study 2

D. Scope and Delimitation of the Study 3

E. Definition of Terms 4

F. Review of Related Literature 5

* Foreign Related Literature & Studies 5

* Local Related Literature & Studies 8

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

A. Research Design 11

B. Participants 11

C. Research Instruments 12

D. Data Gathering Procedures 14

E. Data Analysis 14

G. Ethical Considerations 15

v
 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction
According to Merriam-Webster, misogyny is the hatred of, or prejudice against women —
manifested in various forms such as; physical or verbal abuse, sexual harassment, rape,
fetishism, pregnancy discrimination, slut shaming etc.

This research paper’s main objective is to provide awareness regarding Misogyny as a

Growing Issue in the Philippines: Studying Women’s Involvement in Everyday Gender
Inequality and Sexism in Contemporary Society; acknowledging women’s daily struggles with
inequality, and hopefully changing the readers’ views and perspectives towards feminism.

This paper attempts to highlight different forms of misogyny, how it affects women, and
recent studies about gender discrimination or double standards among Filipino women.
Diving into this research will help the readers explore certain issues relating to sexism and
discrimination we all face almost everyday — possibly persuade them to fight along for
gender equality and the betterment of our society. We presented evidence and surveys to
support this study for a better understanding and recognition of this topic .

Background of the Study

Filipino women are not strangers to the constant stereotyping and double standards that
have been circling around the country ever since the Spaniards’ colonization period.
According to Titgemeyer (1998), our native women were told to repudiate their free-witted,
outspoken, and assertive nature. They moulded our ancestors into the standards of the
perfect woman’s imagery; she has to be softer, submissive, and filled with naivety, as that
was how femininity was perceived by the Spaniards.

Pre-modern women were raised to conceive and take care of the children. They were
raised to become nothing more than mothers and wives. Our women had to fight for their
rights to become anything else than a mother— a breeder; They had to fight and speak for
those who didn’t have the courage to reject societal standards— for the rights to have
education, be allowed to work, to vote and so on.

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 As of now, the Philippines are one of the most conservative nations in terms of cultural
beliefs and practices. Women are still frequently expected to dress, act, and talk more
femininely; to be polite, accommodating, and nurturing—condemning every woman who
rejects and does not fit their standards of how a woman should act to be considered and
respected; constantly redefining femininity with their close-minded and objectifying
judgement.

There have been many observations and studies written by various journalists about the
growing issue; countless articles, headlines and movements were made by our fellow
Filipino women to fight against sexism and claims a discrimination, double standards, and
misogyny free—technically, women friendly nation.

This research paper focuses on giving light and voice to the struggles Filipino women
have been through, and are still currently going through amidst our patriarchal state.
Moreover, the researchers aim to identify the forms of misogyny and the implications of
misogyny towards Filipino women.

Statement of the Problem

This research paper’s goal and purpose is to provide awareness regarding. We also presented
backups and evidences that support this study for better understanding and acknowledgement of
this topic. This paper focuses primarily on how gender discrimination affects women and how to
better prevent hate crimes involving women.

1. What are the factors affecting the following aspects of life of women's involvement in
gender inequality and sexism?

2. What are the forms of sexism?

3. Why it is necessary to recognize misogyny as a hate crime?

4. What are the existing projects of government to prevent gender inequality?

Significance of the Study

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 We always see the subtleties of women in our daily lives, especially in the media. This
sets an unhealthy precedent and makes it even harder to see how we put each other down.
Identifying internalized misogyny can be difficult. Being as independent as we t hink, there
are many preconceptions about how women should exist, based on social expectations and
gender norms.

It is important to be aware of this and to be aware of your thoughts and thoughts not
only about other women but also about yourself. It is important to make a study about
gender discrimination, especially Women’s discrimination in today's society. It can help to
improve the researcher or any other organization to make more programs on how to
empower women who will not be discriminated against.

The bottom line is that individuals who identify themselves as women face sexism and
misogyny on a daily basis. And in order to fight them effectively, it is necessary to
understand what these terms mean and how women of different races, social classes and
sexual orientations experience them. It is important. In the future, if we want to dismantle
the patriarchy and promote women's empowerment in society, we must strive to combat
explicit misogyny while at the same time dealing with more subtle i nstitutional misogyny.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The general intent of this research is to know more about Misogyny as a Growing Issue in the
Philippines: Studying Women’s Involvement in Everyday Gender Inequality and Sexism in
Contemporary Society. As a qualitative study, this research is primarily focused and dependent
on the participants’ own subjective viewpoints through self-assessment and self-reporting. This
study will be limited to feminism; the researchers will not be tackling anything about the feminist
movement— only the factors, struggles and evidences of Gender Discrimination on the subject of
Misogyny, will be reflected in this study. In addition, following the definition of contemporary as
per Merriam-Webster dictionary, this study will also only disclose misogynistic issues in
the present, happening and existing in modern day society.

This study will be conducted by students from South East Asia Institute of Trade &
Technology in BDI Centre, Regalado Ave, Greater Lagro, Quezon City, Metro Manila. In order

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to deeply understand this study, the researchers will conduct an interview to chosen respondents
that will be asked through online forms and will contain open-ended questions that includes the
information for profiling and perception to misogyny as a hate crime. Simple random technique
will be used in this study wherein each individual is chosen entirely by chance, and every
member of the population— particularly 15 years old and above women, has an equal chance of
being chosen.

Definition of Terms

CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: According to the Reverso Dictionary, the term

contemporary is a noun that refers to people who are the same age or living in the same
time period. While the term society was defined by Oxford Languages as a noun that refers
to the group of people living together in a more or less ordered community,

GENDER: Mazure (2021) advised to utilize the term gender to refer to a person’s
foreground as a male or female, as well as how social institutions respond to that person
based on their gender orientation.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION: According to Cambridge Dictionary, gender

discrimination is a noun that refers to a circumstance in which someone is treated unfairly
due to their gender, most commonly when men are treated better than women.

GENDER INEQUALITY: According to Oxford Reference, gender inequality is the social

process of unequal treatment to people based on their sex or gender orientation.

MISOGYNY: According to Bolander (2012) of Merriam-Webster, the term misogyny is a noun

that refers to the hatred of, or prejudice against women— manifested in various forms such
as; physical or verbal abuse, sexual harassment, rape, fetishism, pregnancy discrimination,
slut shaming etc.
SEXISM: Oxford Languages defined sexism as the hatred or discrimination based on sex,
typically against women.

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GENDER DISCRIMINATION: According to Cambridge Dictionary, gender
discrimination is a noun that refers to a circumstance in which someone is treated unfairly
due to their gender, most commonly when men are treated better than women.

HATE CRIME: Merriam-Webster defined hate crime as a noun that refers to any of a
numerous crimes (such as assault or vandalism) motivated by hatred towards the victim as
a member of a group (such as one based on colour, creed, gender, or sexual orientation).

Review of Related Literature

This part presents the review of related literature and studies from local and foreign
sources. It will help researchers to gain further knowledge about the chosen field of study.

FOREIGN LITERATURE AND STUDIES

What is Misogyny?

According to Srivastava (et al., 2017) of Industrial Psychiatry Journal, over the centuries,
women have been oppressed; their rights were taken away from them; they were treated as
objects, and they were constantly belittled if not abused. Prolonged oppression raised many
voices and collectively led to the concept of feminism, which started the longest movement
in history that is present to this day.

Many researchers have varied definitions of misogyny based on their perspectives and ideas.
Some of these definitions, viewpoints, and ideas will be controversial be examined critically.
According to Bolander (2012) of Merriam-Webster, ―Misogyny is the hatred of, aversion to, or
prejudice against women.‖ The word misogyny was derives from the Greek roots, misein (―to
hate‖) and gyne (―woman‖), as a term that refers to prejudice.

However, Manne (2021) on her interview, she argued that her notion of misogyny differs
from what she refers to as the naive definition. The naive definition of misogyny is hatred
of all women and girls; she disagrees and proposes a more structural and social rather than
psychological definition. Misogyny, as Manne defines it, is a system that polices and

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enforces a patriarchal order by treating women and girls with hostility and hatred, primarily
because they violate patriarchal norms and expectations.

In the study of Nzeyo (2019) entitled ―Christianity, Misogyny and Women‖, he stated
that misogynistic tendencies are not new to society; rather, these attitudes pervade various
strata of our existence. They are vocally audible and visibly present in the political,
economic, social, and cultural and religious spheres of our societies. He discovered that
misogyny was deeply rooted in Christianity in the period of the early church pastors and
that it negatively affected the placement of leaders in ecclesiastical positions, especially
those assigned to women in the church.

Moreover, he argued that misogyny also has negative implications for Christian ethics,
which focuses on love and affection. Lastly, he deduced that misogyny is a major injustice
and a violation of the essence of womanhood. We must acknowledge that in any church
where misogyny thrives, the woman is viewed as an aesthetically childish ind ividual unfit
for ordained ministry or policymaking. Therefore, the greatest impact of misogyny is the
controversial issues regarding the ordination of women.

Misogyny is Everywhere: Growing Issue in the Contemporary World

In Politics

Naul (2021) stated in his study entitled ―The Misogyny of Authoritarians in

Contemporary Democracies‖ that, contemporary democracy in multiple countries has been
under assault from what has been variously called right-wing populism, authoritarianism,
populism, cultural majoritarianism, new nativism, new nationalism, quasifascism, and neo-
fascism. While the authoritarian behaviours of several electorally legitimated leaders in
these countries have been in focus, their misogyny is often regarded as an incidental aspect
of their personality.

In Music Industries

Inquirer.net (2022) examined the issue regarding sexism in the music industry and thus
concluded that misogyny and sexism are actively present in the business. The paper also

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stated that women still have to go through lengths to make a place for themselves in the
male-dominated industry. Majority of the women interviewed by the institute believed that
it is more difficult for female artists to be recognized compared to male peers. Artist
hypersexualization, ageism, the festive atmosphere, and the precarious nature of the
profession are all factors that can make the music industry especially hostile to women.

In Social Media Platforms

As stated by Kapytowska (2021) in her study ―Xenophobia, misogyny and rape culture:
Targeting women in cyberspace‖, misogyny and xenophobia, as well as the associated
verbal and physical aggressiveness, are not new issues. They have existed in different
forms throughout time and space. Groups and individuals have appropriated them for a
variety of social and political goals. They've been used to demonize and demonstrate scorn
for any deviation from the norm, as well as for the Other, who are by definition a threat to
the group's cohesion and integrity.

Furthermore, the nation then appropriates women's bodies and sexuality, imposing its
norms and expectations on them, transforming women into either vulnerable objects of care
and protection or, if norms are not followed, objects of humiliation and contempt. In this
context, "care racism" and misogyny appear to be inextricably linked. The same nation that
swears to fight for the safety of its women is willing to subject some of them to sexual
violence in order to force them to submit.

In addition, in accordance with Hunter and Jouenne (2021), since the style of
masculinity exhibited in these circles is so strongly associated with violence, online
misogynistic communities are particularly dangerous expression of information warfare.
Their ideas about masculinity revolve around toughness, strength, power, and dominance,
as well as a hierarchical ordering principle that regards women as "less than" due to a rigid
"gender system."

Growing Misogynistic Issues against Christianity in Asia

Religion

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 Religious misogyny has been particularly difficult to identify and address for a variety
of reasons. For starters, religious texts can be dissected, re-interpreted, misinterpreted, and
completely distorted to fit the message of the hour.

According to the study of Greco (2018), we are all diminished by the long reach of
misogyny— including the church. Churches or Christian organizations that are rife with
misogyny often abuse Scripture to protect their power. For example, when a denominatio n
or church culture interprets passages such as Ephesians 5:22-24 and 1 Corinthians 7:5 to
mean that husbands have the right to sex on demand, wives may conclude that their needs
and desires are irrelevant and that they have no choice but to submit, regard less of the
personal cost.

LOCAL LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Forms of Misogyny in the Philippines

Gender Discrimination

People might think that in this day and age, when the Philippines stand out in Asia for
having a very free press and where social media thrives, we wouldn’t have to deal with
such issues.

Misogyny is very much present in the Philippines, according to Uymatiao (2016)— The
numbers are only beginning to surface now under a leader that appears to tolerate, and even
practices, it. Gender-based violence, one of the many forms of gender discrimination is
power play where men seek to control women by subjugating them through words and
actions.

Sexism

In a 2021 study ―The Modern Age of Filipino Feminism: Digital Activism, Social
Media, and Gendered Disinformation‖ published by Foundation for Media Alternatives, it
was stated that several studies have shown that women are frequently attacked online at far
higher rates than men, with alarming increases in online gender -based violence during the

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Coronavirus pandemic. Female politicians and journalists are particularly targeted in
gendered disinformation campaigns and coordinated online mistreatment.

Harassment

According to Narvaez (2020), in the Philippines, girls and young female adults who
identifies themselves as having at least one intersecting feature such as being from an
ethnic minority, identifying as a member of the LGBTQI+ or being a person with disability;
are more prone to online bullying or violence. Despite the fact that the survey was
conducted on several continents, girls and young women have similar experiences with
online harassment and discrimination. The majority of the girls and young women polled
believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of being online, but
being victims of online violence has limited their freedom of expression, driven them out of
digital spaces, and left them emotionally stressed and feeling unsafe.

Domestic Violence

Women (1993), violence against women is ―any act of gender-based violence that
results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to
women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public and private life. According to 2017 Demographic and Health Survey
Philippine Statistics Authority, domestic Violence or Violence against women appears to
be one of the country's pervasive social issues. Some realities that contribute to the
vulnerability of Filipino women to domestic violence are being depicted as ―naggers‖ or
neglectful of their duties as wives thus justifies them being beaten by their spouses, or
being raped due to their ―flirtatious‖ ways; in some instances, filing for sexual harassment
is interpreted by media as being malicious on the appreciation of her good looks.

Implications of Misogyny to the Well-being of Filipino Women

Emotional and Mental Factors

According to Arquilla, DO and Villines (2021), while benevolent sexism attributes

some tolerable characteristics to women and femininity, it nonetheless portrays one gender

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or sex as weaker than the other. These concepts can lead to policies and actions that restrict
people’s agency, or their ability to make their own decisions. Leonard (2021) stated that
some of the psychological effects of gender inequality include higher levels of stress,
anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and people of
marginalized genders.

Social Factors

Women are prohibited or discouraged from attending school in many regions of the
world. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate individuals are women, according to estimates.
Gender differences in the workplace are exacerbated by educational inequity. As reported
by Manalastas (2015), these types of violence against women interact with one another and
can occur singly or in combination. While men experience violence and other forms of
gender-based aggression, violence against women — including young women, girls, older
women, heterosexual, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender women — is an especially serious
issue because it is rooted in a larger social context of gender inequality and often serves to
maintain this unequal status quo.

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 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research methods that will be employed by the researchers to
collect the data and information needed for the full investigation. It specifies who will be
the respondents and the research's topic. This chapter also demonstrates the data collection
technique and instruments used.

Research Design

This study is qualitative research wherein the method used is an ethnographic research
approach. As specified by a one on one interview, ethnographic research in general study
administered women 15 years old and above who have experienced and experiencing
misogyny here in the Philippines. Additionally, ethnographic research is treated as the most
precise form of research in particular in recognition of women affected by discrimination
and sexism and the impact of misogyny on their lives over the years.

Since this research is a qualitative approach, the collected data will be limited and based
on the participants' viewpoints subjectively expressed by an interview. All pieces of
information given by the respondents are kept by the researchers with their consent and
will be held with confidentiality. This study will not include other aspects that are not
connected to the study of Misogyny as a Growing Issue in the Philippines: Studying
Filipino Women's Involvement in Everyday Gender Inequality and Sexism in
Contemporary Society. Furthermore, it will only be conducted until June 2022.

Participants

The study focused on Filipino women as its respondents. This is to have an in-depth
understanding of Filipino women's involvement in everyday gender discrimination and sexism in
modern society. Since the research design was ethnographic, the researchers will interview thirty
(30) pre-selected Filipino women aged 15 and above who had experienced and still experience
sexism and other forms of misogyny in the Philippines.

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 A purposive sampling technique will be used in this study. With this type of sampling, the
researchers are able to describe the major implications of misogyny on the well-being of Filipino
women. It will be used to identify the usual sexist terms that are frequently heard about Filipino
women in workplaces, homes, schools, etc.

Research Instruments

The researchers prepared research questions that were utilized through the use of Google
forms to assess Misogyny as a Growing Issue in the Philippines: Studying Filipino Women's
Involvement in Everyday Gender Inequality and Sexism in Contemporary Society. The online
interview will be distributed by the researcher through their personal online accounts.
Consequently, the researchers will privately message the thirty (30) pre-selected women
respondents to answer the open-ended questionnaire by sending the link to Google forms.

Below is a structured open-ended questionnaire that the researcher came up with to answer the
research questions. The research questions below were formally validated by the researcher's
Practical Research 1 Teacher, Ms. Jocel Torres. The interview question has one (1) section; aside
from asking the respondent's basic information, the researchers made questions to ask the
respondents about their experiences.

PARTICIPANT’S BASIC INFORMATION

(Optional) Name: _______________________ Age: _______________________

Email: ________________________________ Status: _____________________
1. Occupation*
(__) Student
(__) Employed/Working
Others: ___________________________
2. Source of income (Optional)
: _________________________________
3. Monthly Salary (Optional)
: _________________________________
4. Sexual Orientation*

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 (__) Heterosexual

(__) Homosexual

(__) Bi/Pansexual
Others: ___________________________

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What does sexism mean to you?

: ________________________________________________________

2. Have you or someone you know faced sexism or gender discrimination?

: ________________________________________________________

3. When and where do you usually experience misogyny?

: ________________________________________________________

4. In what form do you usually experience misogyny?

: ________________________________________________________

5. How many times have you experienced gender discrimination and other forms of sexism?

: ________________________________________________________

6. What are the sexist terms you frequently hear?

: ________________________________________________________

7. How did you deal with such experience?

: ________________________________________________________

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8. How do gender discrimination, misogyny, and other forms of sexism affect your well-being as a
woman? Elaborate.

: ________________________________________________________

9. What do you fear most as a woman?

: ________________________________________________________

10. What advice would you give your fellow women who have faced and are still facing misogyny?

: ________________________________________________________

Data Gathering Procedures

The study about Misogyny as a Growing Issue in the Philippines: Studying Women's
Involvement in Everyday Gender Inequality and Sexism in Contemporary Society was conducted
during the pandemic of AY 2021–2022 by the grade 11 senior high school students of the South-
East Asia Institute of Trade and Technology under the strand of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The researchers used interview questions to gather information needed for this quality research.
The interview questionnaire has one (1) section where it has open-ended questions that were
distributed through Google forms by the researchers to the thirty (30) pre-selected Filipino
women aged 15 years old and above.

Data Analysis

The necessary information that was gathered from the thirty (30) preselected Filipino women
who filled out open-ended questionnaires will be analysed and interpreted through the use of a
narrative analysis approach. According to Allen (2017), narrative analysis is a type of analytic
framework in which researchers analyse stories delivered in the context of study or shared in
everyday life, and that it has four typical narrative forms of analysis that may be used in concert
with one another in a given study: structural, functional, thematic, and dialogic/performance.

The researchers decided to utilize functional narrative analysis to interpret their gathered data
to have an in-depth understanding of the research respondents' stories and narratives from their

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own personal experiences. The researchers believe that through this approach, they will have a
precise and concise analysis to be concluded through the further chapters.

Ethical Consideration

Zikmund (2000) stated that the norms of behaviour developed by a group that suggest what
members of a group should do in a specific situation are known as research ethics — the
researcher attempted to maintain the anonymity of the information provided by the respondents
by respecting their rights and privacy throughout the procedure, as well as ensuring that the study
would be used for academic purposes only. The researchers did their own research rather than
hiring a ghost-writer or a third-party to do it for them. To avoid plagiarism, all sources utilized in
the text are properly credited. Without relying on another researcher's interpretation of the
mentioned source, the sources were personally reviewed. Furthermore, all data and findings are
authentic and not fabricated. On request, the original data can be provided for inspection and
verification of the findings.

The responder did not forced write their names on the questionnaire, and the form was kept
anonymous. Furthermore, researchers ensured confidentiality and acknowledged all other works
used in this study, and the respondent questionnaire is still in the researcher's possession.

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