Women-and-the-Law.pdf

The 1987 Constitution
The Philippines is known for its very
liberal and progressive
Constitution that was formulated
during the euphoria of People
Power Revolution in 1986.

Gender equality is a key element of
this Charter and as enshrined in
Article II Section 14 of the 1987
Constitution, the State recognizes
the role of women in nation-building
and shall ensure the fundamental
equality before the law of women
and men."

Considering the unequal gender
relations in the country, the
Constitution further provided for
women representation (as one of
the nine marginalized sectors) in the
legislature through the party-list
system (which should cover 20% of
the lower house).

Finally, Article 13 Section 14
specifically mentioned that the
"State shall protect working women
by providing safe and healthful
working conditions, taking into
account their maternal functions,
and such facilities and
opportunities that will enhance
their welfare and enable them to
realize their full potential in the
service of the nation.

Various Laws Promoting Gender Equality
The legal framework provided for by the 1987
Constitution resulted to various legislations
promoting gender equality. These legislations
include the following:
● Local Government Code of 1991. Provides for the
election of sectoral representation, including
women, in local legislative councils.

● Party List Law. Provides for the creation of
women-oriented or women-based parties to
compete under the party-list system. Women is one
of the nine sectors identified in the law.
● Labor Code (1989). Covers issues, such as night work
prohibition, specifies that employers must provide
special facilities for women, prohibition of
discrimination against women in respect to terms
and conditions of employment, and prohibition of
discrimination by reason of marriage of a woman
worker.

● Women in Nation Building Law. Republic Act 7192
(1991) is an act promoting the integration of women
as full and equal partners of men in development
and nation-building.
The law provides that a substantial portion of
government resources be utilized to support
programs and activities for women.
The law also encourages the full participation and
involvement of women in the development process
and to remove gender bias in all government
regulations and procedures.

In relation to gender
budgeting, the law specifically
mandated all agencies to
allocate a minimum of 5%,
increasing to 30%, of all official
development funds in
mainstreaming gender
concerns.

● 1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. Gave
Filipino women the rights to own land that previously
reverted to sons and other male family members.
● Republic Act 7688 (1994). An act giving
representation to women in social security
commission.
● Anti-Sexual Harassment Law RA 7877 (1995). An
act harassment to be unlawful in the employment,
education, or training environment.

● Republic Act 7822 (1995). An act providing
assistance to women engaging in micro and
cottage business enterprises.
● Republic Act 8353 (1997). An act expanding the
definition of the crime of rape, reclassifying the
same as a crime against persons.
These laws not only promote gender equality, but also
gives protection to women’s rights and enhances
women empowerment.

Based on the Philippine laws stated, a myriad of projects,
initiatives, and processes on the gender challenge arose.
This includes the following:
● Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development
(1995-2025). The National Plan for Women that
consolidates the action commitments of
the Philippines during the Beijing World
Conference on Women. This is the
overall frame that is also the point
of reference for the discussions
and monitoring of gender
mainstreaming.

● Gender and Development Budget (GAD). Integral to the
national plan, it is aimed at “institutionalizing gender
concerns in the mainstream development process and
agenda and not just peripheral programs and projects
of the government”.
● Concretely, it prescribes for the allocation of
5% of the government agency's/local
government unit's budget on
gender-responsive activities
and projects.

As a result, implementation of the development
programs and policies of government also means
women partaking a role in governance.
As primarily stakeholders in the development
process, women have the right to maximize
their involvement in governance, be
it at the local or national
level.

● Framework Plan for Women (FPW). This is part of the
Philippine Plan for Women developed to focus on three
thrusts, namely: promoting women’s economic
empowerment, advance and protect women human
rights; and promote gender responsive governance.
This plan identifies the concrete gender
issues that will be addressed, pinpoint
targets and indicators, name
programs, formulates the
implementation plan, and
set-up tools for
monitoring and
evaluation.

Women’s
Right to
Participate

Women's right to vote was granted in 1937. The
Constitution of 1935 stipulated that the right of
suffrage would be extended to women, only if
300,000 women voted in its favor during a national
plebiscite.
The General Council of Women was then
established in Manila to direct the plebiscite
campaign. Its aim was to draw the support of the
broadest number of women.

As it turned out, 447,725 women voted yes in the 1937
plebiscite. Interestingly, 44,307 women voted against the
provision.
What followed was a colorful history of women’s foray
into the various levels of electoral victories, but generally
pushed by familial affiliation and elite association.
At present, women's right to vote and participate are
maintained and further protected by existing laws at
hand.

The Philippine educational system is a
combination of public and private institutions with
the State providing free education for elementary
and secondary levels.
The Constitution provides that without “... limiting
the natural rights of parents to rear their children,
elementary education is compulsory for all
children of school age... (Article VIX, Section 2).

There is no general discrimination of girls in education,
thus, there is no marked differences existing in the
educational status of Filipino women and men.
One glaring issue is the gender stereotyping of fields of
study and specialization and its onward translation into
the world of work where men generally occupy the
highest occupational ranks and the highest paying
positions.

Women's larger responsibility for housework and for
the family impedes their ability to use their
educational training and skills for remunerative
work.
The topics previously discussed are always timely,
relevant, and part and parcel of the daily lives of the
Filipinos. These only show the degree of importance
that must be given to these topics.

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,
including icons by Flaticon and infographics & images by Freepik
Thank
you!

Women-and-the-Law.pdf

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Women-and-the-Law.pdf

Recently uploaded

Women-and-the-Law.pdf