Women at the Table: A Personal Experience Storytelling

I am Amy Faith. I am a lawyer, a wife and a mother (not arranged according to relevance). And I am a woman. And there is a story I would like to share with you. Perhaps it begins with the observation that growing up in a middle-class home, there are certain challenging conditions I experienced that my male relatives never did. And this was like 15, 20 years ago.  The story is continuing. This is also not unique to me. This may also be your story.

The Philippines stands as one of the highest-ranked countries in terms of gender parity. Based on the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index Report by the World Economic Forum[1], the Philippines continues to lead as the most gender-equal country in Asia, with a 79.1 percent gender parity[2]. This impressive score reflects the country’s commitment to promoting equality and addressing gender disparities.

However, while we celebrate this achievement, it is essential to engage this report. Gender parity is not simply statistics; it encompasses the lived experiences of women, men, and non-binary individuals across various domains:

Workplace Equality: Despite progress, challenges persist in achieving equal pay, representation in leadership roles, and workplace opportunities for women. Advocacy for fair wages, parental leave policies, and combating workplace discrimination remains crucial.

Education and Skills: As an echo to Dr. Cuizon’s discussion, the Philippines has indeed made strides in education, and yet to continuously ensure equal access to quality education and skill development for all genders is essential. Addressing stereotypes and encouraging girls’ participation in STEM fields are still ongoing efforts.

Health and Well-being: Gender parity extends to health outcomes. Access to reproductive health services, you will hear more about it from the next speaker, as well as maternal care, and mental health support should be equitable. Additionally, addressing violence against women and promoting sexual and reproductive rights are critical.

Political Participation: While the Philippines has seen women in prominent political roles, more can be done to encourage women’s active participation in decision-making processes. Gender-responsive policies and inclusive representation matter.

Social Norms and Stereotypes: Challenging harmful gender norms and stereotypes is vital. Promoting positive masculinity, breaking down rigid gender roles, and fostering respectful relationships contribute to a more equitable society. This is also the SDG No. 5.

Participation in natural resource governance: In an artisanal gold mining community somewhere south in the Philippines, women strike stones and refine gold through mercury. In this sense, they are as tough as men. But on the broader side of the extractives value chain, women (and the rest of the sectors wherein they figure prominently) and their development issues are most often neglected in decision-making both in the utilization of environmental and social capitals, and in development appropriations. And because extractives can bring in more serious negative externalities, social protection of women and their children living around extractive projects should be more pronounced in the extractive project’s social and environmental payments particularly in areas of sustainable livelihood and skills upscaling, maternal and child services, infrastructures, and representation.

In addition, women’s participation in political decision-making is a critical aspect of achieving gender equality and promoting inclusive governance. In the Philippines, despite historical challenges, women have made significant strides in shaping policies, advocating for their rights, and occupying key positions. We see trailblazers, of women who paved the way for other women to influence politics. Notably, Corazon Aquino became the first female president in 1986, followed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001. Who can forget Miriam Santiago? And of course, Apo Wang-od is a social media darling. Leah Salonga in the performing arts. A host of women scientists and academics. These trailblazers shattered the glass ceiling and inspired generations of women to engage in politics and society.

Over the years, the percentage of women in elected government positions has risen. From 1998 to 2013, women held between 16.1 percent and 20 percent of public offices[3], with a peak in the 2010 elections. However, this progress still falls short of the 30 percent critical mass needed for effective influence in decision-making.[4]

And yet, if we examine further, prevailing patriarchal norms and stereotypes perpetuate the notion that politics is a male-dominated arena. Gender biases often discourage voters from supporting women candidates. You should by now realize the name calling against a woman presidentiable in 2016 taking effect in voter perception but the same is not true to her male opponent.

Balancing domestic responsibilities with political engagement remains a challenge for women. The “multiple burden” of caregiving, household chores, and community work affects their decision to run for public office. I should know, I am a young mother and by default, don’t get me wrong I do love being a mother and yet I must make it an excuse so as not to complain, I take on so many hats in one day that I am pretty sure the Jungian persona archetype has never been truer to anyone than me (and other working moms).

Consonant to my advocacy commitment (an on-going policy analysis is done elsewhere in research and policy advocacy) it is pivotal for women to identify barriers of gender parity and political inclusion to effectively decrease the likelihood that this will happen to our daughters and increase the possibility of our sons to embrace the diversity of human choices and follow the values of inclusion and acceptance.

Some policy barriers identified can also be areas of reform:

1.        Gender Quotas: Implementing gender quotas or temporary special measures can accelerate women’s representation. These mechanisms ensure that a certain percentage of seats are reserved for women, promoting equal participation. It is true that various legal instruments are in place to ensure gender parity (and there is also a special interest to advance SOGIE), but actual practice is wanting. We are interested in the recently pronounced DRIVE program of the DILG under the PH-OGP 6th NAP to score the functionality and quality of participation in LDCs. On the other hand, the demand (public participation) and supply (bureaucratic space) curve is yet to meet in perfect harmony. We also recognize that it is essential for women to continue scaling up their capacity to break free from (real or imagined) restrictions in political participation. This is what we at STANCe do in natural resource governance and we hope CHR can provide more community-based discussions on women participation with bias to ESCR and BHR.

2.        Legal Reforms: Enact legislation that protects women’s political rights and prohibits discrimination. Legal safeguards against reprisals and harassment are essential. There are also good legal protections for women. But as a lawyer, I can point to a few instances where perception on women especially when moral and ethical standards are concerned defines women according to narrow and pedantic standards that are limiting and restrictive to growth and self-determination. You’d have to wonder how a president who enacted the Anti-bastos law in 2019 is the same person who humiliated a Senator and used anti-women language to legitimize her political detention in 2017. Going after paternal child support is also challenging.

3.        Inclusive Dialogue: Create multi-stakeholder platforms where women’s voices are heard. Consultations during policy formulation should include diverse perspectives. STANCe continues to engage multilateral government spaces particularly PH-OGP where I was the outgoing Steercomm Nongov Representative for Visayas, and the PH-EITI whose policy direction has geared towards gender inclusion. Let us support these endeavors. I am also a member of the Development Administration Sector of RDC 7. And while within the RDC there are very engaged women leaders there, the impact of our representation of women within regional development planning is yet to examined. That should be a good policy research for students.

4.        Awareness Campaigns and Capdev: Raising awareness about the importance of women’s participation as well as voters’ education on the value of diverse perspectives in decision-making is strategic. Investing in training programs for women leaders to enhance their skills in negotiation, policy formulation, and governance is also a reform-oriented intervention. Participation comes with a cost. On one hand, most of us who participates in multilateral platforms as mandated by law finds ourselves spending our own resources just so we can represent. On the other hand, not participating because of fiscal reasons may mean surrendering the space we can rightfully participate in as legitimate representative of our sector to someone else who might be less credible than us.

Let us bear in mind though that there is still a long way to go, a wide chasm we need to bridge, to affirm our place at the table of good governance. One thing also, women’s participation in political decision-making is not just a matter of numbers; it is about ensuring that policies reflect the needs and aspirations of all citizens especially women. As the Philippines continues its journey toward gender equality, empowering women in politics remains a collective responsibility. By breaking down barriers, challenging stereotypes, and promoting inclusive governance, we pave the way for a more equitable and just society.

I count myself fortunate to have found a mix of opportunities where my participation as a woman and mother is made possible. I know this may not be the same opportunity afforded to all women. I make it my own commitment to try and use my voice and agency alongside other advocates to take me to places, sometimes opposite to power, to highlight methods of exclusion and their effects on women everywhere. And please remember, we should not feel alone, in moments when we do, let us seek out other women and welcome them to our table. Let us provide each other with a warm blanket, a steaming cup of coffee, or an honest laughter. These are things we need, to continue the work at social transformation that comes from the power of remembering. Remembering who we are. Remembering what others did before us to pave the way. Remembering to leave a lighted lamp for the next generation to continue the journey.

Amy Faith Suson-SItoy

[1] https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf

[2] https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217082; https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/news/in-the-news/philippines-improves-in-2023-world-gender-equality-ranking

[3] https://pcw.gov.ph/assets/files/2019/07/PCW-WPLA-Policy-Brief-4-Womens-Political-Participation.pdf?x29372

[4] https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/03/07/beyond-a-glance-digitalization-and-enhanced-data-governancefor-womens-political-participation-in-the-philippines/