Editorial: Why women continue to fight

YEAR after year as we celebrate the International Women’s Month, we fight for gender equality, women empowerment and against domestic abuse and violence.

It is of course good news that the decades and decades of fighting finally allowed women to vote, to work, and to pursue careers that are originally thought to be masculine. If we compare the situation of women during those times to today, we can say women are already generally being heard of, has authority, and are treated as significant parts of the society although there are always exemptions which makes the fight for equality still relevant and important.

The extended maternity leave, which allows pregnant women to take a 105-day leave from work with pay, was already signed into law. This is good news. The bad news is the threat that comes with it. Women-support organizations fear that this might cause corporations and other private companies to steer away from hiring women as 105 days paid leave is no joke for the company’s budget and profit.

Worst case scenario, there might be lesser number of hired women in the years to come because of this new law. Though this might still be a hovering threat and no confirmed cases had been reported yet, the fact that this possibility surfaces means that women are still vulnerable to such circumstances.

On the other hand, day-to-day routines of women remain to be a struggle because of catcallers. As defined by Merriam-Webster, ‘catcall’ is a loud, sexually suggestive call or comment directed at someone publicly (as on the street).

Sick catcallers, when confronted, would sometimes reason that it was just a friendly greeting (which is obviously not!) A message to perverts out there: The next time you think of defending catcalling as a friendly, non-malicious greeting to girls and women, think if you would be willing to do this “friendly, non-malicious greeting” to any random guy on the streets. Catcalling is done with the intention to make the victim feel inferior and the catcaller superior.

It’s not only the women who face harassment on the streets. There are also gay and women catcallers.

Please, please let us not support this culture. This is rude, bastos, and never, ever a compliment. Let us not go this low. I hope we teach the little kids the proper and respectful way of treating people so we eventually stop this culture.

As for the victims, if you can, call out your catcallers. Tell them firmly that they are being disrespectful. But do it with caution. Chances are they are not taught how to properly treat girls and women by their parents and guardians when they were little. Someone has to tell that to their faces. Of course they would not have a change of heart with just one confrontation but the catcalling makes it less successful if you hissed and tell them they’re being rude, if you can, instead of just pretending not to hear.

The success of catcalling is on the “paralysis” of the victim, the inability to react because of embarrassment or feeling threatened. Success of catcalling does not necessarily lie on whether or not the victim will flirt back because most of the times they won’t.

Yesterday, March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Month. The ability to vote, become president, lawyers, or doctors are welcome progress but the fight is far from over. We still have a lot to work on. Babae ka, hindi babae ka lang! Padayon!

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