by Marikenya

The introduction of gender laws in the Philippines has showed substantial progress in terms of protecting women and children from abuses. In other countries in Asia and in some parts of our country however, gender discrimination remains pervasive.

Although the efforts of the government and NGOs and other concerned groups are laudable in promoting gender equality, it seemed off-track or probably lacking attention on particular segment of “women” like youth and the elderly.

While there are a lot of activities and programs on addressing gender parity, most of these efforts are directed towards the very young (children) and adults (those in their mid-20s to middle-age). Although there are, it seemed that promotions of gender empowerment targeted for the youth sector of our communities are insufficient. Take for example the increase of porn websites featuring young Pinays, not to mention those who provide live show for foreigners in their very own home in exchange of dollars. Many teen Filipinas also fall for the empty promises of online dating sites as well as mail-to-order bride programs in the hope of finding rich foreign husbands or lovers.

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by Marikenya

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Unemployment, Poverty, Dreams — these are some of the reasons why Filipinas today are found in the different countries in the world. Bearing with homesickness and hard work, she slave away her nights and day to send remittance to the Philippines.

Fortunately to many Filipinas working overseas, they were employed in professions and jobs they have chosen and liked.Unfortunately to many though, Filipinas had to shift careers and convince selves that they would eventually like their work and it all would be worth it. In the past, depressing statistics showed that many teachers and other professionals migrated to Asian countries to become domestic helpers. Today, the trend is different: women shift careers to become nurses, caregivers, nursing assistants, and medical transcriptionists. Even doctors today shift to nursing because of the high demand for nurses abroad especially in the west.

There were also change of careers to become apple pickers in New Zealand or factory workers in Korea or Japan. Many Filipinas decided to leave behind their bachelor degrees for fifty to eight thousand pesos wages in apple picking or assembling electronics. Just last year, I have two good friends (one was a bank teller and another a physical therapist who have his own pharma business) who migrated to the States to become dishwashers and table wipers in a hotel.

I have high respect for all of these women who sacrificed their comfortable life, education, and career in the Philippines to try their luck abroad and secure the future of their family. Needless to say, their intentions are as noble as their deeds.
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by Marikenya

By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacation-less class. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American aviator, Gift from the Sea

There is an increasing number of “enterprising filipinas” today. Most of them are engaged in micro enterprises, and for many, in the informal economy where they operate in a poor working condition and environment with little prospect of being able to work their way out of poverty. All, however, endure these challenges for one unselfish reason — income generation for her family.

Unfortunately for women, engaging in business is far more challenging and intricate than for men. In many societies and economic situations, women in poverty do not have much opportunity to assess their own situation, to appreciate their own strengths, and to overcome their weaknesses in coping with the entrepreneurial world.

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by Marikenya

Can you imagine a world without men? No crime and lots of happy fat women. ~Nicole Hollander

Don’t worry male readers, this article is not meant to antagonize the male species. I just started this post with Hollander’s quote because it made me smile and it’s relative to what I’m about to write.

The other day, a friend of mine, Ella (not her real name), called me and we had a long chat about her marital woes. Apparently, there was a fight again between her and her husband Ned (also not his real name). The husband was jealous and doubtful of her and almost beat her to death during that fight.
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