Gender Roles and Women's Empowerment

• The presentation discusses gender and sexuality across time.
• The objectives include discussing the historical roots of understanding gender and sexuality, and showing how this understanding has evolved through time in various aspects of human life.

Definitions

• Patriarchy is a social system where men primarily hold power in the political and private spheres.

• Feminism is an ongoing series of social movements challenging patriarchal societies that create oppressive political structures, beliefs, and practices against women.

• Society has progressed, making information widely available and historical accounts show that conceptions of gender and sexuality have changed over time.

• The Divine Feminine is the concept of a woman's sacredness due to her ability to conceive children.

• Egalitarianism describes societies where men and women have equitable power and roles.

Patriarchy

• Paternity refers to fatherhood or the role of the father.

• Patriarchy includes structures that uphold male supremacy in law, home, the workplace, and society.

• Patriarchy originates from the Greek word Patriarkhes, meaning "the rule of the father."

• Men primarily hold power in the political and private spheres

• Social systems are typically organized and maintained in a way that men rule over women and their children.

• In social, legal, political, and economic spheres, men are expected to lead, while women are expected to obey, do housework, bear children, and provide child care.

• Patrilineal societies dictate that only men can inherit property and family names and women were left with no inheritance.

• Women were expected to marry men who could support them economically, and were not supported to learn or participate in education and politics.

Historical Views on Gender

• In ancient Greece, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato believed women were inferior and were the property of men.

• Women's sole purpose was to obey their husbands, bear children, and manage households and were not allowed to learn philosophy, politics, or science.

• In ancient Egypt Herodotus, a Greek historian, observed that women enjoyed a higher social status than in Greece.

• Egyptian women could inherit property and participate in trade and politics.

• Greek influences spread to Egypt through the conquests of Alexander the Great across Asia and Africa.

• Women have advanced greatly since ancient times through feminist movements but patriarchy still manifests in more subtle forms of oppression

• Sexism includes prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on sex The gender pay gap continues with men earning more than women

Contemporary Challenges

• Rape against women and the stigma of reporting it remain major issues
• Conservative expectations about how women should behave persist.
• Boys are often trained to be leaders, while women are trained to perform housework.

Woman Empowerment

• Woman suffrage: women were historically denied the right to vote because they were viewed as irrational and temperamental

Rights and Equality

• Women's voices have been silenced for hundreds of years; society is making efforts to restore their rights and provide equality in politics and society.
• Reproductive rights means women have control over their bodies and can make their own decisions.
• Women should have access to contraception, abortion, and other reproductive options.
• Domestic violence, including marital rape and physical abuse, is often dismissed as part of marriage.
• RA 9262 addresses violence against women and their children. Sexual harassment and sexual violence is an area of focus for women's resources.
• In the Philippines, it is estimated that one woman or child is raped every hour and that the perpetrator is known to them.
• Women have the right to choose, including the right to divorce, make decisions about pregnancy, receive equitable wages, and have equal employment opportunities.

Summary

• Feminism has enabled women to access education, gain the right to vote and work, control their reproduction, and have the right to say no.
• The use of gender-neutral language that is not sexist is promoted and includes terms like "Babae kase", "lalake kase" and "pakipot".
• Everyone must be treated with respect, dignity, and equality regardless of gender.

Explore questions on traditional gender roles, sexual assault stigma, reproductive rights, and gender-neutral language. Discover the impact of domestic violence, feminist movements, and patriarchal societies on women's empowerment. Uncover the historic influence of the Divine Feminine and characteristics of egalitarian societies.