How Marxism and Feminism Shaped the Women's Movement in the Philipppines

• In Event: 315 - Open Refereed Roundtables Session. B. Table 01 Shared and Contested Spaces
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 10. Social Movements and Unions

Abstract

The Philippine Women's Movement embodied in GABRIELA and MAKIBAKA has evolved over the years when it emereged in 1980s in response to state repression and social injustice. From a middle-class led movement to one where emphasis and importance is given to working class women, the women's movement has persisted to this day. Part of its evolution is the influence of Marxism and Feminist thought that gives importance to class struggle and the organization of working class women (being the bulk of women in the Philippines). This was and is given prime importance towards a revolutionary movement that will bring fundamental structural change in the economic and political systems of the nation. This paper will highlight the struggles of working class Filipino women both in the homefront and overseas.

Author

• Ligaya Lindio McGovern, Indiana University Kokomo