Feminism holds a strong hold in today’s society. The belief of equality between the sexes sparked changes in the world’s long history. But not everyone is open to change. Gender inequality is still prevalent today in more ways than one. Issues regarding maltreatment and harassment due to one’s sexuality hinders the society from maturing. Sexism towards women has occurred along history. To some extent, it decreased but it is still there—at home, work, and in society.
As children in school, we were taught that the mother is the “light of the house,” as the daughters also look up to be like her someday. So growing up, our image of a woman is the “housewife.” That was before. This is the twenty-first century where women can be the breadwinner. The female population are not as limited as before. Nevertheless, there are still a few people who are left with the past generations’ ideals. One of the most-talked about issues is “how” women should wear their clothes. We are not Maria Clara. Suffragettes did not fight for nothing. They went against society’s ideals for the rights we enjoy today. The same goes for our clothes. Trends change with time. So how men should look at that should also be changed and become open-minded. Clothing is an expression as much as dancing us. I often hear male drivers say “ay, babae ‘yan kaya ganyan,” sometimes I hear a few women say the same. What is wrong with a girl driving a car? Nothing. So blaming if one got cut on the road to a woman driver is not her fault. Men and women both have the capabilities to do the same activities that the older generations thought would not work (except pregnancy).
One thing I can be proud of as a Filipina is the fact that we had the first woman President. Even the late Corazon Aquino was branded only a “housewife” and people questioned her capabilities. And today, we stray from that. A good number of the breadwinners in the Philippines are women. From businesswomen to sidecar and bus drivers, we are at it. But the image of the “traditional woman” aka Maria Clara still lingers in the workplace. Some people are shocked to know there is a Filipina pilot. The 21st century’s Maria Claras now work with decency. We are beyond the image of only being secretaries. Choosing men over women when the qualifications are clear as day is disappointing. We deserve an equal chance.
Lastly, our ancestors accepted the norm where women are to be at home, be very lady-like, and do things the way Maria Clara would. Newsflash, we are the new generation. The circumstances are different. Young girls from Africa undergo female genital mutilation in order to be desirable to men. Arranged marriages still happen. The way we act and influence others is different. Traditions have the tendency to be sexist. Sorry, not sorry. Though we respect that, it should also respect our rights as a person.
Yes. The truth is not everyone will conform with this generation’s ideals and how it views women. It will be passed to generation to generation through oral traditions but please make sure it respects everyone. We have evolved to be independent women throughout the years. We are not the Maria Claras from the past centuries.