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

of the menstrual period.
 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 and
KEEPING
service)
• NO ECONOMIC VALUE
• WAGE/FEE
GENDER AND SEXUALITY
ACROSS TIME
DISTANT PAST

DIVINE FEMININE EGALITARIAN

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

MEN WOMEN
They discover the role Productive Sphere Reproductive Affair
of the father in (world of public labor) (world of home and
conception, Ruler of the society related task
PATERNITY. Ruler of the home
Center of their lives
Role of men in the WORK Center of their lives
production of 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
• Boys were trained to be leaders while women were trained to do
house chores
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 THEIR
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
policymaking.
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.