GENDER AND SOCIETY

LARA JESSA FLORA MACARAEG

DEVELOPMENT OF SEX CHARACTERISTICS
AND THE HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

• Primary Sex Characteristics- physical

characteristics present at birth.

• Female- vagina, uterus, and ovaries

• Male- penis, testes or testicles, scrotum and
prostate gland.
DEVELOPMENT OF SEX CHARACTERISTICS
AND THE HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

• Secondary Sex Characteristics- development during the

onset of puberty.

• Female- enlargement of breast, onset of menstruation

(10-12), widening of the hips, enlargement of buttocks, growth of pubic hair.

• Male- testicular growth, sperm production, appearance of facial, pubic and

other body hair, deepening of voice
PRIMARY SEX CHARACTERISTICS

• Develop as the embryo grows in the womb as a

result of the chromosomes contained within the
embryonic cells as well as hormonal influences.

• 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, two organs (gonads)

form in the embryo.
MALE

• Gonads release testosterones that causes the male’s

sex organs to develop.

• During Puberty- testosterones and androgens

stimulate the development of primary and secondary
sex characteristics and also increases one’s sex drive.
WOMEN
• Ovaries produce estrogen and progesterone as
well as small amount of testosterone.

• Estrogen promotes female reproductive

capacity and secondary sex characteristics.

• Progesterone stimulates growth of the female

reproductive organs and prepares the uterus
for pregnancy.
COMPARISON

• Female sex hormones are not produce

consistently.

• Production follows a cyclical pattern, on an

approximately 28-day monthly period.

• Ovulation period can occur 14 days after the

beginning
 SEX
VS.
GENDER
 SEX ≠ GENDER
SEX
refers to a person’s biological status and is typically
categorized as male, female, or intersex.
 SEX ≠ GENDER
GENDER
refers to the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given
culture associates with a person’s biological sex.
Gender assignment - the initial assignment as male or
female. This occurs usually at birth and, thereby, yields the
‘natal gender’.

Gender reassignment - denotes an official (and usu­ally

legal) change of gender.

Gender-normative - behavior that is compatible with

cultural expectations.

Gender non-conformity - behaviors that are viewed as

incompatible with cultural expectations.
GENDER IDENTITY
vs.
SEXUAL IDENTITY
GENDER IDENTITY vs.
SEXUAL IDENTITY
Gender
Identity

- refers to “one’s sense of oneself as male, female, or

transgender”
 GENDER IDENTITY vs.
SEXUAL IDENTITY
Sexual Identity/ Sexual
Orientation
- Is the preference we have for the sex of a partner.
TRANSGENDER
vs.
TRANSEXUAL
 TRANSGENDER vs TRANSEXUAL

TRANSGENDER refers to the broad spectrum of

individuals who tran­siently or persistently identify with a
gender different from their natal gender.

TRANSSEXUAL denotes an individual who seeks, or

has undergone, a social transition from male to female
or female to male, which in many, but not all, cases also
involves a somatic transition by cross-sex hormone
treatment and genital surgery (sex reassignment
surgery).
MEN AND WOMEN
ACCORDING TO BIOLOGY
• They have different chromosomal make-up
• Different internal and external gentalia
• Different in quantities of several hormones
• Different secondary sex characteristics: body
hair distribution, voice pitch, and muscular
development
CHROMOSOMES

• First determinant of sex

• Contains the genes that parents pass on to
their offsprings
• 23 chromosomes, one is the sex chromosomes
• Female egg cells contain only X chromosomes while
male sperm may have X and Y
• XX combination produces a female
• XY combination produces a male
INTERSEX

• Either XX or XY and the confusion in

their body structure is due to faulty
embryonic (pre-birth) development
• XO combination produces intersex
• After 6 six, the presence of Y chromosomes
triggers the production of hormones by the
male embryo’s gonads and initiates the
development male genitalia and suppress the
development of female genitalia
GENDER IN THE REALM OF SOCIAL

• Differentiated social roles, behaviors, capacities and

intellectual, emotional and social characteristics
attributed by a given culture to women and men.

• Two genders:
• Masculine
• Feminine
WOMAN OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN
VISAYAS

• Leave their home and seek living elsewhere

WOMAN OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
LUZON
• Agricultural follows tenancy or capitalist arrangements
GENDER ROLES/ EXPECTATIONS/
ASSIGNMENTS

MALES FEMALES

• Providing the income • Caring for children and

home
• Production-
production of • Reproduction-
CHILDREARING, HOUSE
commodities (goods
KEEPING
and service)
• NO ECONOMIC VALUE
• WAGE/FEE
GENDER AND SEXUALITY
ACROSS TIME
DISTANT PAST

DIVINE FEMININE EGALITARIAN

• The sacredness of women • Men and women have
due to their ability to equitable power and roles
conceive children
• Women are treated equally
with men
AGRICULTURAL ERA

MEN WOMEN
They discover the Productive Sphere Reproductive Affair
role of the father in (world of public (world of home and
conception, labor) related task
PATERNITY. Ruler of the society Ruler of the home
Role of men in the Center of their Center of their
production of lives WORK lives FAMILY
agricultural land
PATRIARCHY

• A system based on the control and oppression of

women wherein they are perceived to be the
weaker sex.
• Male supremacy (home, law, workplace, society)
• Greek word Patriarkhes which means the rule of
the father
PATRIARCHY

• Social system where men primarily holds power in

the political and private spheres
• Men rule over women and their children
• Only men can inherit property and family name
• Women are not allowed to go to schools, vote,
remains at home
• Social construct not a biological phenomenon
FRIEDRICH ENGELS

• Patriarchy came about when people started having private

property instead of communal living
• The development in agriculture and domestication led to
creating product surplus which allows people to have private
property.
• As a way to control the excess wealth generated by these
advancements, male dominance was asserted over women
so only male heir can inherit family wealth.
HISTORICAL VIEWS ON
GENDER
GREEK: ARISTOTLE, PLATO

• Viewed women as the inferior sex and are properties

of men whose only job was to obey their husband,
bear children, and take care of the household.
• They are forbidden to learn philosophy, politics and
science
EGYPT: HERODOTUS

• Egyptian women enjoyed higher status than Greek

women because they can inherit property and
engage in trade and politics

• But because of the conquest of Alexander the Great,

Greek’s influence quickly spread un Egypt
CHINA: CONFUCIANISM

• Three obedience’s and four virtues and Precepts of

women
• Women should obey their father
• When married, she needs to obey her husband
• When widowed, she needs to obey her son
 SUBTLE FORMS OF OPPRESSIONS MADE
BY SOCIETY TOWARDS WOMEN
• Sexism- prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination based
on sex
• Gender pay gap- men earn more that women
• Underrepresentation in politics, military, executive
positions, etc
• Rape on women and the stigma making women
ashamed to report the crime
• Women do more housework and childcare
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
CONTINUING SERIES OF SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS THAT AIM TO CHALLENGE
THE PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY
FIRST WAVE OF FEMINISM:
19 -20 CENTURY
TH TH

•Western countries, women

demanded for their right to vote in
participate in elections and to be
able to legally own property.
FRANCE, SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR

•“ The Second Sex” in 1949

• How patriarchal society disadvantage women
by slowly raising her into submission and
hindering their productivity and happiness by
relegating them to housecleaning.
•Betty Friedman (The Feminine Mystique,
1963)
•Kate Millet (Sexual Politics, 1969)
•Germaine Greer (The Female Eunuch,
1970)
LE MOVEMENT DE LIBERATION DES
FEMMES
•Women’s liberation movement, Europe
(1940s)
• Sought the right to education, right to work, and
right to vote
• Women’s right to decide on their bodies and
their sexualities.
SECOND-WAVE OF FEMINISM, 60’S-80’S
•Domestic violence, marital rape,
reproductive rights, wage inequality

THIRD-WAVE OF FEMINISM, 90’S

FOURTH-WAVE OF FEMINISM, 2012

 FEMINISM DEMAND
•Women Suffrage- because women are viewed as
irrational and temperamental.
•Equality in Politics and Society
•Reproductive Rights- women being in control of her
body (Contraception, Abortion)
•Domestic Violence- marital rape, physical abuse _RA
9262
•Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence
HISTORICAL ROOTS AND
EVOLUTION OF THE
FEMINIST MOVEMENT
BAYAN AND BABAYLAN:
WOMEN PRECOLONIAL PH
 BABAYLAN

• Major representation of the status accorded to

women in a balangay or barangay.
• Mostly concerned with culture, religion, medicine
and other theoretical knowledge crucial to the
conduct of pre-colonial PH society.
• To Salazar (1994), they are referred as Proto-
scientist
TASK OF BABAYLAN

• Spiritual Leader. They are in charge of rituals

Agricultural significance
• She determined the right time to clear the land
• The planting and harvest cycle
• Community Doctor
• Priestess and also act as a Balangay Leader
COLONIZATION OF WOMEN’S BODY IN
HISPANIC PHILIPPINES

• Babaylan were endowed with powers from black magic

• Spaniards suppressed and took control of Babaylan’s bodied
and sexuality
• The friars took the liberty to widen the scope of the Christian
doctrine
CHASTITY BELT IS A LOCKING ITEM OF CLOTHING DESIGNED TO PREVENT SEXUAL
INTERCOURSE OR MASTURBATION.

IT IS HISTORICALLY DESIGNED BY MEN FOR WOMEN OSTENSIBLY FOR THE PURPOSE

OF CHASTITY, TO PROTECT WOMEN FROM RAPE OF TO DISSUADE WOMEN AND THEI
POTENTIAL SEXUAL PARTNER FROM TEMPTATION.
SISTERS IN ARMS: REVOLUTIONARIES,
SUFFRAGISTS AND GUERILLAS
• Filipino-American War
• Asociacion Filantropica dela Cruz Roja an association founded in aid of
the revolution. GOAL: collecting funds for the war and treating
wounded revolutionary soldiers.
• The membership of the Cruz Roja was noticeably composed of
prominent ilustrado families.
• Most notable contributions of women in the revolution can be found
in the realm of literature: El Heraldo de la Revolucion and La
Independencia
WOMEN COMRADES:
RESISTING A DICTATOR
AND PERSISTING WITH
THE STRUGGLE
POSTWAR YEARS

• Considered as years of peace for the Filipinos, many

of whom considered the establishment of the
electoral process as a manifestation of democracy,
there seemed little need for women to agitate for
new reforms, much less for structural changes
1969 ELECTIONS – SUPPOSEDLY THE
DIRTIEST IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

• Protests escalated in multiple folds, and the

government was threatened with the
momentum of organizing led by the newly
established Communist Party of the Philippines
or CPP in 1969 (Abinales, 2005:193).
FIRST QUARTER STORM (FQS) OF 1970

• A period of ferment characterized by massive

protests marches and violent confrontation with the
police, and propelled largely by a radicalized student
movement whose agenda called for drastic changes
in societal structures by means of raising the
collective consciousness of the Filipino people with
respect to the 'three evils' supposedly plaguing the
exploited masses, namely, 'imperialism, feudalism
and bureaucrat capitalism' (Santos, 2004).
MGA KILUSAN

• Malayang kilusan ng bagong kababaihan

(Movement for Freedom by progressive Women) or
MAKIBAKA, established in July 1969.
• Katipunan ng Bagong Pilipina (KABAPA)
• Kilusang Kababaihang Pilipina ( Philippines Women’s
Movement) or PILIPINA in 1981.
MGA KILUSAN

• Katipunan ng Kalayaan para sa Kababaihan ( Organization of

Women for Freedom) or KALAYAAN in 1983
• GABRIELA or General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms,
Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action was founded in
1984
COMTEMPORARY PERIOD: WOMEN’S
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

• Women in positions or decision-making structures

remain crucial in advancing women’s empowerment,
to the extent that the United Nations (UN)
encourages member-states toward equal
participation of women in decision-making bodies.

• However, patriarchy still dominates in the society

WOMEN IN NATIONAL AND LOCAL
ELECTIVE OFFICES THE PHILIPPINES
ELECTED NOT ONE, BUT TWO WOMEN
PRESIDENTS IN A SPAN OF LESS THAN
20 YEARS.
CORAZON AQUINO

• the first female president of the

Philippines
• known for leading the people power
revolution in 1986 which restored
democracy to the country
• named TIME’s Woman of the Year in
1986
GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

• is a Filipino academic and former

politician who was the 14th
President of the Philippines from
2001 until 2010.
• a former senator and vice-
president, was the daughter of
Former President Diosdado
Macapagal.
GABRIELA SILANG

• first female leader of a filipino movement for

independence from spain. This is where the present
local feminist organization GABRIELA patterned its
name after.
GABRIELA

• The biggest alliances of WOMEN’s groups that was

crystallized by the Aquino assassination.
• It was the first attempt in unifying the women’s
organizations. Around the feminist agenda GABRIELA added
specific objective to the Philippine feminist Movement such
as: Providing framework or Perspectives, Right and Welfare
of Filipinos Women, and International Solidarity.
-Despite the law's limitations, the party-list system enabled
women's organizations to represent their constituencies in
Congress. PILIPINA and GABRIELA created their respective
party-list organizations, Abanse! Pinay and Gabriela Women's
Party (Elumbre, 2010: 219). Abanse!

-Abanse! Pinay had two congressional terms and was

successful in passing key legislations such as the Solo Parent
Act of 2000, and the Anti-Violence Against Women and
Children Law. Abanse! Pinay was also allied with the
democratic left party founded in 1997, the Akbayan. When
Abanse! Pinay failed to win in the 2004 elections, Akbayan
continued the task of mainstreaming of gender in
WOMEN OF MALOLOS

• disprove that women were destined to stay at home

and take care of the children.

• They demonstrated that women are equal with men

when it came to education
WOMEN’S RIGHT
THE RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS CLAIMED
FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS WORLDWIDE, AND
WHICH FORMED THE BASIS FOR THE WOMEN'S
RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE 19TH CENTURY AND
FEMINIST MOVEMENT DURING THE 20TH
CENTURY.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9710
MAGNA CARTA OF WOMEN

• Promote empowerment of women and pursue equal

opportunities for women and men and ensure equal access to
resources and to development results and outcome.

• The State shall develop plans, policies, programs, measures, and

mechanisms to address discrimination and inequality: economic,
political, social, and cultural life of women and men.
REPUBLIC ACT 7192 (1992)

• "Women in Development and Nation Building Act."

• The State recognizes the role of women in nation building

and shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of
women and men. The State shall provide women rights and
opportunities equal to that of men.
REPUBLIC ACT 7322
(1992)
INCREASING MATERNITY BENEFITS IN FAVOR OF WOMEN
WORKERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTORS
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7877 (1995)

• "Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995.“

• The State shall value :dignity of every individual, enhance the

development of it human resources, guarantee full respect
for human rights, and uphold the dignity of workers,
employees, applicants for employment, students or those
undergoing training, instruction or education.
 REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8505

• "Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998."

• The State shall
• provide necessary assistance and protection for rape victims.
• coordinate its various agencies and NGO to work hand in
hand for the establishment and operation of a rape crisis
center in every province and city that shall assist and protect
rape victims in the litigation of their cases and their
recovery.
REPUBLIC ACT 8353
THE ANTI-RAPE LAW OF 1997

• Rape as a Crime Against Persons. - The crime of rape shall

hereafter be classified as a Crime Against Persons under Title
Eight of Act No. 3815, as amended, otherwise known as the
Revised Penal Code.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9208:
ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS ACT
OF 2003
• values the dignity of every human person and guarantees the
respect of individual rights.
• The State shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures
and development of programs that will promote human dignity,
protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation,
eliminate trafficking in persons, and mitigate pressures for
involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support
trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery,
rehabilitation and integration into the mainstream of society.
REPUBLIC ACT 7688 (1994)
AN ACT GIVING REPRESENTATION TO WOMEN IN THE SOCIAL
SECURITY COMMISSION.
REPUBLIC ACT 6949
NATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY.
THE EIGHTH DAY OF MARCH OF EVERY YEAR IS HEREBY DECLARED
AS A WORKING SPECIAL HOLIDAY TO BE KNOWN
AS NATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
2000 8972 Solo Parents` Welfare Act of 2000 aims
to develop a comprehensive program
of social development and welfare
services for solo parent and their
children.
2004 9262 Anti-Violence Against Women and Their
Children Act of 2004 penalized the
commission of violence against women
and their children (VAWC) the context
of domestic violence or violence in
intimate relationships.
2012 10354 The Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health Act of 2012 or the
Reproductive Health Law provides for a
national policy on responsible
parenthood and reproductive health.
2012 10361 The Domestic Worker Act or
Batas Kasambahay institutes
policies for the protection and
welfare of domestic worker

2013 10398 Declaring November 25 of every

year as National Consciousness
Day for Elimination of Violence
Against Women and Children
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6955   

• Policy of the State to ensure and guarantee the

enjoyment of the people of a decent standard
of living. Towards this end, the State shall take
measures to protect Filipino women from being
exploited in utter disregard of human dignity in
their pursuit of economic upliftment.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6972

• “Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of

Children Act.”
• The State shall defend the right of the children to
assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and to
provide them with special protection against all forms of
neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other
conditions prejudicial to their development.