Women’s work is never done

Some of them dressed in Filipiniana, in the iconic baro’t saya, intricate gowns of cotton cloth overlaid with gossamer lace, with a blouse and shawl embroidered and even sequined for shine. It is a difficult outfit to don, and even more difficult to maneuver in, especially if the skirt is cut along the serpentina or “fishtail” design that means a length of cloth trails behind, raising dust and mud.

And yet, dressed in these intricate outfits, our foremothers travelled around the islands, in a time before convenient public transport, campaigning among their sisters to raise the necessary numbers in a plebiscite for women’s right to vote.

It was in their memory that women gathered at the Senate last May 8, to listen to Sen. Risa Hontiveros deliver a privilege speech commemorating the 80th anniversary of the vote for women’s suffrage. It was, said Hontiveros, “a very important milestone for gender equality and women’s participation in this country.”

Finally winning recognition of their basic right to vote opened the door to women’s full political participation. Not only could they vote for people running for office, it also meant they could themselves run for office. In 1941, the first female member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Elisa Ochoa, claimed her seat. In 1947, Geronima Pecson of Pangasinan was voted to the Senate, paving the way, said Hontiveros, for Senators Nancy Binay, Leila de Lima, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar and herself.

But the groundwork for the vote for suffrage and for women taking their places in public life had been laid years before the women trooped to the polls. Thanks to organizations like the Asosasyong Feminista Ilongga, and the Asosasyong Feminista Filipino, women all over the country were organized around the issue of full political participation and “given permission” to dream of the day when they could stand shoulder to shoulder with men as citizens enjoying the same rights and privileges.
But, as the saying goes, a woman’s work is never done. In her speech, Hontiveros said “the women’s vote should also be seen as seeds that lead to other beneficial outcomes.”

Among them is that the women’s vote “should lead to legislation that benefit women.” And while in the past decades the nation has seen women make “tremendous strides” in enacting prowomen legislation, there remain “gaps that need to be addressed.”

Hontiveros mentioned the need for a “more modern” antirape law, “one that is more attuned to contemporary times.” There is also the proposed Expanded Maternity Leave law of 2017 awaiting passage in the House of Representatives. And while the Reproductive Health Law has been deemed constitutional despite a challenge at the Supreme Court, it still needs to be fully implemented. At the same time, “many women are calling for a more equitable policy regime for marriages that do not work out.” (A more palatable way of calling for a divorce law!)

But for these to happen, noted Hontiveros, “we need women voters who are able to exact accountability from their leaders. And leaders who know that the women’s vote is a vote that matters.”
Beyond winning legislation supportive of their causes, said Hontiveros, “genuine women’s participation in public office is necessary in order to ensure that we build a truly equal playing field for women.” Today, 80 years after setting off on the road to full political participation, Filipino women still remain a distinct minority in terms of both numbers, responsibility and power.

“While there has indeed been some incremental increase in the participation of women in politics, it means nothing if it does not translate to demonstrable progressive behavior that we can see in our daily lives,” noted the senator. And indeed, the “sexualization” of women, even those in public office who are chided for the length of their skirts or the relationships they engage in, constitute a step backward.

And lastly, said Hontiveros, “we must use the gains of women to fight for other sectors that are marginalized.” It means, she added, “fighting for a women’s agenda that puts truth-telling, dignity and humanity at the forefront of the struggle.”