feminism

here's another issue i know practically nothing yet i should be concerned about seeing that it has a bearing on me being female - feminism. without doing any background research and based only upon prior knowledge, perception, and biases, the idea of feminism for me is akin yet limited to equal rights, gender stereotype, sex trafficking, reproductive health bill, GABRIELA and protests with lots of women shouting and making angry faces. for now, when i say "feminists", let's stick to my current, under-educated notion of feminists and feminism.

don't get me wrong, i AM an advocate for a number of things feminists are fighting for. maybe just not strong enough to call myself a hardcore feminist for a number of reasons. one, i am fortunate enough to be born in a time and in a country where the issue of women's rights is being tackled and acted upon. my parents raised me and my siblings with no gender biases. i was made to hammer away furniture for repair or climb trees or do car maintenance while my brothers are made to clean the house, do laundry or cook and vice versa. gender was never a consideration when choosing which program to pursue in college. in school, all aspects of home economics were taught to both girls and boys. sports was no gender issue and neither did i feel academically discriminated because i am female. i am allowed to run and vote in all sorts of elections. my working experience may be limited but i didn't feel judged based on my gender, rather, on qualifications and achievements. to be fairly honest, in the philippines, the most prominent stereotypes weighing on equality seems to be religious and cultural rather than gender. japan, on the other hand, probably needs more advocates for gender equality in the workplace. they're such a macho society.

two, sex trafficking seems like a world away and i cannot associate myself much to the issue. neither have my time with government or non-government organizations brought me close to the heart of the issue. so, while it clearly exists and while i sincerely condone it, it's hard to fully empathize when i have not actually seen their condition nor talked to victims first hand. while it is true that prostitution is indeed a MAJOR feminist issue, it is definitely also a major issue that has to be addressed by the labor and employment department.

three, i cannot remember what occurred but GABRIELA made such a bad impression on me. perhaps because they seem to be always shouting and making angry faces on national television and i don't want to be associated with them by calling myself feminist. i do commend their action during this one time many years ago about the alleged rape by a US marine. some organization does need to support those kinds of issues so taht it doesn't get burried without making a resolution. perhaps it's high time i look into GABRIELA once again and understand the purpose of their existence.

the concept of feminism has been used too often and too liberally i believe it has somehow lost a part of its true meaning. people often confuse feminism with courtesy, manner, and tradition like holding the door open or paying for a meal or who gets to court who. some also use it to incorrectly interpret things like the RH bill saying "i am a woman and i have the right to my own body..therefore i have the right to decide for abortion" or stuff like that. that's not what the RH bill is about, silly.

feminism seems like such a wonderful word for women: go for women's rights! female empowerment! and all that. but on the other hand, the twisted view of feminism also brought about a noticeable shift of perspective of a woman's role in the society. take for example the movement of empowering women in the workplace. in effect, more and more women are climbing the corporate ladder which requires time, effort, and attention. but that doesn't change the fact that women are still perceived to be the home-maker and child nurturer of the family leading to a lot of people putting working women, especially working moms, on a pedestal with the negative effect of labeling full time housewives as "lang".

so, in the end, i'm not really sure how much of a feminist i am. i can and i enjoy carrying the heavy stuff as much as i enjoy being told to carry the lighter ones. i enjoyed karate as much as i enjoyed gymnastics. i still expect to be treated kindly and gracefully on occasions because i am female and men who do that are good mannered and respectable themselves. i do not get offended when people hold doors open for me, neither do i get offended when told, "be a man!". i would not do the courting though, haha. blehh :P

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