User:Jinnhee/sandbox

Philippine women's suffrage plebiscite, 1937

Very short/brief outline:

I.              Political background concerning Filipino women during 1910-1930.

A.  Emergence of the suffrage movement- expand into the period of the suffrage movement.

i.              Plebiscite in 1937- struggles before and after it took place

Aquino, Belinda A. "Filipino women and political engagement." Review of Women's Studies 4, no. 1 (1994).

II.            Different waves of feminism and how it played out in the Philippines.

A.  Mention the dictatorship and how women organizations rose up to protest against the regime.

i.              Struggles and hardship women went through in times of the dictatorship.

Honculada, Jurgette, and Rosalinda PINEDA OFRENEO. "The National Commission of the Role of Filipino Women, the women's movement and gender mainstreaming in the Philippines." Mainstreaming gender, democratizing the state (2003): 131-145.

III.          Current status of the country in terms of women in society/ political participation, etc.

The National Assembly in the Philippines announced the Plebiscite in 1937, which would decide whether or not women should gain the right to vote or not. Multiple women's movement started during 1910 which leaded up to the plebiscite in 1937 where women voted for or against for women's suffrage rights. Filipino women worked hard to mobilize and fight for women's suffrage in the early 1990s and gained victory after 447,725 out of 500,000 votes affirmed to having women's right to vote. Even after having the right to vote, women continued to fight against an authoritarian government, Ferdinand E. Marcos for women's rights as well as against the authoritarian rule. Philippines is one of the earliest South East Asian countries to elect a female president in 1986, and have women participation in the politics. 

There were several feminist organizations that played in a role in enhancing the suffrage movement. The struggle for women to vote in the Philippines, started by the middle class women, began in 1910. In 1905, Feminista Filipino (Association of Filipino Feminists) formed and focused on school reforms and prison reform for citizens. Another organization called the Association Feminista LLonga was created in 1906 and its goal was to focus on women's suffrage. At the same time, there was an all-male National Legislature that was against the feminist movement, thus did not support the movement because they feared that traditional family roles would start to change if women had the right to vote. In 1920, the Manila Women's Club emerged as the "next big step" towards forming the League of Women's Suffragettes which worked towards women's right to vote. The Club formed the League of Women's Suffragettes which . A year after the League of Women’s Suffragettes was formed, there was another organization called a National Federation of Women's Club in 1921-1937 which was known to be the vanguard of the suffrage movement. As all these organizations illustrate, Filipino women worked hard with determination to gain the right to vote and have equal political participation as Filipino men.  

The National Assembly in 1935 stated that they would hold a plebiscite in the next two years, stating if more than 300,000 women were to vote for the plebiscite, then the right to vote for women would be granted. In response, Filipino women amped up their mobilization women to vote. There was wide spread propaganda through media, posters, press, radio, house to house visits and such and they also had lectures in which informed women about the plebiscite. The Junior Federation of Women's Club was also created to help women with children so that they were able to vote while their children would be taken care of. Transportation and food were provided, creating a less hassle for Filipino that may or may not have financial abilities to go out and vote. The Commonwealth Act No.34 approved on September 30 1936 was an act that provided the holding of the plebiscite in 1937 for women's suffrage which listed all the necessities prerequisites for this act to occur. Out of the total of 500,000 women that voted, 447,725 women voted for while 52,275 voted against in the plebiscite in April 30 1937. Filipino women gained the right to vote.  

The plebiscite was a victory in the end, but Filipino women still faced new obstacles when Ferdinand E. Marco took power and imposed an authoritarian regime. The Marcos dictatorship that ruled with corruption brought a lot of new barriers to women and men when the regime imposed the marital law, which eradicated civil rights in order to improve national Constitution. The poverty levels rose during the dictatorship, the country's economic development dropped, human rights were violated, and the abolishment of civil and political rights affected men and women workers and youths.

The Philippines is one of the earliest countries in South East Asia to have female president, Corazon Aquino from February 25, 1986 to June 30, 1992 and the country has high percentages of women participation in the political realm. The 1987 Constitution has included women in the political realm, as well as granting equality for both men and women. Some of the equal political rights are the right of suffrage, the right to run for public service, right to political expression, and the right to information. The Philiipines is one of the many coutries in the world that is a signatory to the Convention on Political Rights of Women (CEDAW), which is an international convention created by the United Nations General Assembly. It does not allow any gender discrimination, and to have equality between men and women.