A month to celebrate she-roes: strong women of malate

An interview was conducted with Miss Consolacion Nadonga, the head of the teacher’s faculty; Jana Espares, the activity coordinator of the Malatean Girl Scouts of the Philippines; and Monzam Wang, the current Editor-in-Chief of the Clarionette, to celebrate National Women’s Month and Women’s History Month, 2023.

Written by: Aira Mae Lao

Layout by: Tiffany Ocampo 

March 22, 2023 | 7:00 P.M.

Across the internet, there are various campaigns, projects, and celebrations about National Women’s Month and Women’s History Month, but to sum it all up, gender equality is what it all strives for. Although gender inequality in this generation isn’t as ridiculous as compared to before when women were gravely “trapped” by highly patriarchal society, it is still one of the many phenomena that are existing in our society today. For instance, the prejudices and views of the majority are still geared towards traditional gender roles. Such views come to affect the lives of women in a number of ways. One known is on the economical level. Some women don’t receive equal job offers compared to men. Back in 2021, the percentage of women in the labor force was only 39.33%. In political levels, a majority of positions are given or geared towards men. The greatest example for this, is how the Philippines only ever had two presidents that were women. Neither of them received their roles through vote, but rather through the political environment that ended with them being passed the role. One can’t deny the presence of gender bias around the world, which is why this month and its celebration wishes to fill in that gap by bringing awareness to the issue. 

Although only recently have nations addressed this issue by allowing men and women to be offered the same job; Ms. Consolacion Nadonga, for instance, was offered a higher position in a community a few years back. She points out that government positions are now offered and given to women as well. However, that doesn’t entirely erase the problem. Even teachers like her face the struggle of gender inequality as sometimes, their kind nature is used against them. Not only does this lead to abuse in terms of power, but it also belittles the capacity and impact a woman can bring to her environment. Even so, this doesn’t serve as a hindrance to women such as Ms. Nadonga in unlocking her full-potential. 

“Each obstacle is either a challenge or a boulder, it is up to us to decide which it is.” stated Ms. Nadonga about the topic of struggles women face in their lives.

I’ve conducted an interview with the following people to give light to their experiences where they felt dejected and disrespected as women. With their responses to these struggles, other women may be able to take inspiration from them and realize that being a woman is only one part of their full capacity.

“Due to horrible past experiences, being a girl wasn’t a safe thing for me. It is not something I’m fully comfortable being, and ever since I was a kid, due to the internalized misogynistic views that I learned from the adults around me, it really took a toll when it comes to being comfortable with my own skin.” stated Jana Michelle Espares, the activity coordinator of the Malatean Girl Scouts of the Philippines and one of the current HUMSS Representatives of the MCS Student Coordinating Board. Young women of our generation are continuously being pressed about gender roles, especially about the fact that women must bear children and be tied to their families once married. It’s practically normal to hear questions such as “kailan ka ikakasal?” or “kailan ka magkaka-anak?” when the topic of the role of a woman in the family is brought up. Many things women had to deal with was how a number of ideologies were pushed onto women which prevented them from doing things they could do. They were looked down on and had to deal with demeaning feedback that being a woman was the only thing they ever were, not a person who was capable of plentiful things. This is evident in remarks such as “you should do the dishes, you’re the woman/mother in the house.” 

Even so, Jana stated that women play a significant role in our society as they’ve revolutionized the way we live, work, and view society as a whole. It is with that, that they were able to push through with facing the struggles they personally faced about being a woman. Through various contributions of women such as Paz Marquez-Benitez, a woman educator and writer; Marie Curie, credited for the discovery of radium and polonium; and Josefa Llanes Escoda, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, they were able to become inspirations for women of the coming generations to be just as impactful. They defined that women such as Jana, weren’t to be subjected to the prejudices society had on them.

“Girl scouting is one of the most empowering movements that I am a part of. It helps us address issues within ourselves and work on ourselves for the better. It also focuses on the development of the individual and how we can cooperate with each other as a troop. It helps each other find their strong suit and gives everyone the potential to be a great leader someday,” stated Jana Espares. 

Many things can be categorized under gender inequality, and they should all be given light this women’s month. Differences in wages, gender discrimination, safety levels, and stereotypes of what role each gender should ideally play in society among others, fall under the category of gender inequality.

“As a girl, I have experienced plenty of stabs in the heart just because I am a girl. I don’t think I deserve that. Rather, like any living thing, we deserve safety, respect, and regard, at least in society. I think International Women’s Day and Month stand for these things; at the very least, the bare minimum,” states Monzam Wang, the current Editor-in-Chief of the Clarionette.

“People, especially girls have always been cat-called and harassed in private or in public. Imagine not being able to feel safe at a certain time of the day.”  Monzam shares her experiences regarding basic safety and security as a girl. She explains that as an active person, going out and engaging in various activities is what she likes to do, but as a girl, she has to take extra precautions and constantly be on high alert when she does these things alone, especially at night. “It’s always fight or flight for women,” she says. Despite these dangers, she still continues to do what she likes to do. “It’s just sad and angering that we have to deal with dangers everyday, all while attempting to avoid being victim-blamed when situations do happen to us. It’s the worst when you already feel disgusting, and you have people claiming you could’ve avoided it had you acted differently.” No woman or victim should be blamed for the situation they face. After all, no person would want to put themselves in a situation where they’re in danger. As part of society, we ourselves should push for a safer world. 

Another aspect is stereotypes. A step to bridge this gap is by counteracting the stereotypes women face. One of the many ways to do so is by being there for other girls, explained Monzam Wang. For Jana, they prefer to ignore such remarks or educate others about the harm their remarks can do to a person. For them, facing and educating people about their actions’ impact can help spread awareness that may result in the improvement of others, small or big it may be. There isn’t anything wrong with fitting in a description of a stereotype, nor is there anything wrong with being completely different from it. “Stereotypes will always be there, that's why these are stereotypes,” Monzam states. What matters is that each woman defines herself how she wishes to be defined, not letting the existing stereotypes limit them and their ambition and potential.

Many people may get the idea that this month is for women to showcase that they can be above men or how this whole event belittles men, when that isn't the case at all. It is important to note that National Women’s Month and Women’s History Month do not wish to put women above men; it simply wishes to bridge the gap between the inequality they face compared to the opposite sex.

It may take years before the issue of gender inequality reaches a calm line, but with the help of women like Jana Espares, Monzam Wang, and Ms. Consolacion Nadonga, they are able to serve as inspirations for young women to not let the prejudices of society befall on them. Through women empowering other women, the world is able to recognize issues regarding how the role of each person truly plays an important part in how society develops itself for the betterment of the future of its people.

Gender inequality and biases are still present in society, and whether you are woman or man, this month of women wishes to emphasize the contributions women have offered to the development of society and its morality whilst giving light on various issues; encouraging women of all walks of life to know their self-worth and to see how strong (or sweetly soft) they are.