Women’s leadership and political participation - Fair access to political spheres in the Province of Bulacan, Philippines

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley

Politics in the Philippines remains a male-dominated arena across local and national levels. This study examines factors that facilitate or restrain women candidates’ participation in politics in Bulacan, focusing on Lady Vice Mayors and Councillors, and Lady Board Members. It evaluates candidates’ personal characteristics, motivations, challenges in elective and legislative roles, and applied strategies. Findings describe respondents’ demographics, education, motivation toward community development and gender equality, and persistent obstacles including legal-process understanding, time management, and consultation skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methodology

Results

Discussion

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 6(4), pp. 334-341, December 2018 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ.64.18.102 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Women’s leadership and political participation: Fair access to political spheres in the Province of Bulacan, Philippines Alodia D. G. Zapata College of Education, Bulacan State University, Philippines. Accepted 19 December, 2018 | ABSTRACT
Politics, as in many spheres of life in the Philippines, is still very much a male enclave. From the smallest government unit up to the national level, men dominate (Gemba, 2001) . The study aimed to find out the factors that facilitates or restrains women candidates from participating in the political arena. This study was conducted among Lady Vice Mayors and Councillors from the Municipal Council and City Council in the province of Bulacan as well as the Lady Board Members of the Provincial Council of Bulacan. The study covers the personal characteristics of the candidates, their motivation to entering the political arena, the challenges and issues they faced as candidate and legislator, and the strategies they applied to overcome these hurdles. The study utilized a validated survey instrument from the survey conducted by the Royal University of Bhutan in 2014. Data for this study was gathered through the Office the Head of the Council or directly from the respondents by administering the survey instrument. The results indicate that the average age of the respondents is forty (Mean=40) years old. Majority of the respondents are married and majority of them had one to three children. The respondents have commendable educational background at college or university level. The main motivation factors of the respondents to running for office are the desire to bring community development; and, to promote gender equality within their respective communities. The family continues to be the biggest source of motivation and moral support for the women candidates. During the performance of their elective positions, the respondents continue to experience challenges like understanding the legal process, time management issues, and consultation skills--all are crucial to their legislative work.
Keywords: Women, leadership, political participation, fair access. | | --- | | E-mail: [bulsucoed@yahoo.com](bulsucoed@yahoo.com). | INTRODUCTION The relationship between political participation, gender equality and democratic process is interdependent since the implementation of each depends on the others. Infact, equality between men and women in all aspects of life cannot be achieved if there is no equality in the area of governance and political representation. According to United Nations Women, gender equality means that women and men have equal opportunities and conditions for realizing their full potential in economic, social, cultural, and political development. It is the equal valuing by society of both similarities and differences of men and women and the roles they play. The World Health Organization defines gender equality as the absence of discrimination on the basis of a person’s sex, in providing opportunities, in allocating resources and benefits or access to services. The United Nations Population Fund believes that gender equality exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence through work or business; enjoys equal access to education and the opportunity to develop personal ambitions. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is an international human rights agreement that requires the 185 state-parties to ensure the equal recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights by women without discrimination on the basis of their sex. However, public governance is one of the areas where inequality between men and women is highly visible (Alvarez, 2013) . Both the Beijing Platform fo

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

To identify factors that facilitate or restrain women candidates from participating in the political arena in Bulacan, Philippines.

Who were the study participants?

Lady Vice Mayors and Councillors from municipal and city councils, and Lady Board Members of the Provincial Council of Bulacan.

What motivation factors were reported by the respondents?

The desire to bring community development and to promote gender equality within their respective communities, with family support as the biggest source of motivation and moral support.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley