Filipino Masculinity
Camilo A.B. Naraval, MD MSc
Health Management and Research Group
OBJECTIVES
 Describe
masculinity issues in the Philippine
context;
 Discuss the implications of masculinity on
domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, Family Planning
and risky lifestyle;
 Best practices
PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY





Men
Superior
Aggressive
Powerful
Unemotional
Strong
Women
 Inferior
 Submissive
 Powerless
 Emotional
 Weak
GENDER ROLE STEREOTYPES
SOCIAL NORMS
MANIFESTATIONS OF
GENDER BIAS
HMRG - Men's Responsibilities in Gender and Development
MANIFESTATIONS OF GENDER BIAS

Economic marginalization





Under- or non-valuation/recognition of women’s work
Unequal pay for work of equal value
Last to be hired, first to be fired
Limited opportunities
Women have less access to and control over resources and
benefits
Subordination
 Multiple burden
 Gender stereotyping
 Violence particularly against women and children
 Diminished sense of personhood (lowered self esteem,

decreased control over one’s body)
DESCRIPTION OF MASCULINITY
 Description
of what it is to be a man is always in
opposition to women or traits of women;
 If Filipino men exhibit behaviors that are
considered unmanly, they are exhorted with
“Magpakalalake ka” or act like a man;
 It is fairly commonly followed with a chide –
“para kang babae” (you act like a woman)
MASCULINITY TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Badinter (1992) involves 1) Identification; 2) Differentiation
 Physical:
 Body
Penis as a feature for “boy” that sets them apart from
“girls” and what he can do with it (Leonardo de Castro
[1995]).
This pairing (sexual potency) has become central issue in
masculinity (Helen Haste [1993]).

SEXUAL POTENCY

Sexual prowess -- how frequent, how many sexual relations
a man has
 Infidelity
also seen as natural expression of one’s masculinity
 More “macho” (manly) if more girlfriends and flings

Sexual performance
 extent
and speed of erection
 Ejaculation
 when this is not so, as in impotence, this cause major concern among
males
OTHER PHYSICAL AND
AFFECTIVE CHARACTERISTICS

Physical




Affect



Overall physical appearance
Reproductive capability
Physical strength
Emotionally stable
Display of nurturance as less
masculine
Mental


Firm in decisions
More analytic
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
 Biologically
male – not enough
 Culturally male – compelling need to be
accepted
 Rites of passage of becoming a man:
o
o
o
o
o
Pagpapatuli (circumcision)
Pagbibinyag (first sexual encounter)
Panliligaw (courtship)
Pag-iinom (drinking)
Pagsasarili (establishing independence)
DISTINCTIONS OF BEING A MAN
 Tunay
na lalaki (real men) - maprinsipsyo or
principled
 Ganap na lalaki (actualized men) – those who
have started their own families and look after
their welfare


Ability to fulfill the responsibilities accorded to him
by society;
Failure to do merits reproach and disdain from peers
MEN’S VOICES AND EXPERIENCES: GENDER ROLES*
Strength and power
 The one in-charge
 Economic providers
 Strong and macho
 “Mas powerful ang lalaki. Kung mo-abot sa Biblical nga
estorya, si Eba gikuha lang sa gusok” (The man is more
powerful, If we consider the Biblical story, Eve was taken
from the ribs of Adam)
 “No man should cry. Crying is reserved for women. A
man should not show weakness.”

Filipino Men and Domestic Violence, 2000
WHEN ONE MANIFESTS TRAITS OR ROLES THAT ARE NOT
“MASCULINE”….
Bakla
 Bading
 Silahis
 Manifesting “bakla” traits, in general, are
“corrected” by the father or brother by way of a
reprimand including physical violence
 One could be a suspect as bakla or gay or
AC/DC(bisexual):




Being unmarried at marriageable age;
Intimate friendship between men or always together (i.e.
close friendship);
If men do not respond to the advances of women;
IMPLICATIONS OF FILIPINO MASCULINITY ON
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPERIENCES
IMPLICATIONS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Role of Men in Domestic Violence:
 Male as a Dominator. Use of violence is seen to be an
instrument to maintain this privilege position in the
society/ household (“Pagkalalake: Men in Control?” 1999)
 Male as a Reactor. Man either denies, minimizes, justifies
the violence or blames the victim.
 Husbands feeling emasculate were literally hitting back


In households where women had made the decision to work
outside the home, there was greater incidence of domestic
violence (Social Science & Medicine Journal)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
About 10% of women were victims of
physical abuse (national survey in 1993)
 Urban and rural areas in Davao revealed
that the magnitude of physical abuse was
35% (Maruya, 1998) and 16% (Yagong,
2002), respectively .

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

1 out of 5 men admit to beating up their
wives (1995, McCann Erickson)
Ratio rises to 1:3 among the younger
generation.
 In Tibungco, Davao City 22.6% of men
confirmed physical violence against
their partners (HMRG Participatory Research, 2004)

Percentage Distribution of Men as to Violence
Experiences and as Doers of Violence, HMRG Screening
2008 (n=88)
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
27.4
31.0
61.2
72.6
69.0
38.8
During your childhood,
have you been
abused?
Have said hurting
words with your
partner
Yes
No
Have physically hurt
your partner
IMPLICATIONS OF FILIPINO MASCULINITY ON
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
CORE GROUP
HIGH RISK TO STI
LINK: A member of the noncore group who partners
with the core-group
NON-CORE
GROUP
LOW RISK TO STI
BRIDGE: A member of the
non-core group who
partners with the core and
non-core groups
SOME IMPORTANT RISK FACTORS OF WOMEN IN HAVING
STI THAT HAS TO DO WITH MEN*…
 Travel
of husband/partner outside area of
residence (POR=1.51; p=0.036)
 Having urethral discharge (POR=10.7; p=0.00)
 Having other sexual partners (POR=2.28; p=0.004)

POR= Prevalence Odds Ratio
*“Relationship of Selected Exposure Factors and Having C.
trachomatis and/or N. . Gonorrhea among Women with Vaginal
Discharge” Naraval, 2002 (Used Logistic Regression Analysis)
Fig. 4 Mean Age of Coital Debut Among Men
Who Ever Had Vaginal Sex
20
18.8
Age
19
18
19.4
17
17
16
15
12-24'
25-34'
35-44'
Age Group
Source: Jimenez and Lee, Male Sexual risk Behavior and HIV/AIDS, 2001
SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: GENERAL POPULATION
 In
the younger age group (15-24), 34% have had
sexual experience already.*
 20.3% of men claimed to have more than 1 sexual
partners in the past six months**
 Condom use is generally very low**
 About 20% of women claimed that their partner
has other sexual partners.***
* Jimenez and Lee, 2004
**Screening, HMRG 2008 n=89
*** Naraval et. al., 2002
22
ESTIMATED PREVALENCE OF SELECTED STI BY RISK GROUP
AMONG MEN, PHILIPPINES, 1991-2002
STI
Area
Estimated
Prevalence
Medium to High
Risk
Chlamydia
Manila / Angeles
12 – 16
Gonorrhea
Manila / Angeles
<3
Syphilis
ASEP Sites
0 – 11
Chlamydia
Baguio / Cebu / Davao
2–9
Gonorrhea
Baguio / Cebu / Davao
<2
Syphilis
Baguio / Cebu / Davao
<1
Low Risk
Prevalence of Selected STIs Among 100 Males with
Urethral Discharge, Phases 1 & 2, HMRG, Davao City, Dec 99-
Sept 01 (Saniel, Validation Study, UPCM & FHI)
STI
Laboratory
Test1
Davao City
n = 50
Davao City
n = 50
% Prev (95 % CI)
% Prev (95 % CI)
Davao
n = 100
Gonorrhea
PCR
58.0
74.0
66.0
Chlamydial
infection
PCR
36.0
38.0
37.0
Gonorrhea
and/or
chlamydia
PCR
80.0
92.0
91.0
RPR-TPPA
0
0
0
Syphilis
24
1PCR-Polymerase
Chain Reaction; RPR-Rapid Plasma Reagin;TPPATreponema pallidum Particle Agglutination Test.
PREVALENCE OF C. TRACHOMATIS AMONG WOMEN WITH STI
SYMPTOMS FROM VARIOUS PLACES (NARAVAL & SANIEL)
15
16
13.4
14
12.1
10.9
12
9
10
8.5
% 8
6
3.7
4.8
4
2
0
Netherlands
Malaw i
Tanzania
US-Ryan
Studies used different diagnostic tests.
Peru
Kenya
US-Burstein Davao City
IMPLICATIONS OF FILIPINO MASCULINITY ON
FAMILY PLANNING
FAMILY PLANNING
 Role
of Men: Loci of authority in making decisions as to
family size, use of contraceptives etc.
7
million WRA high risk for pregnancy:

too young, too old, too many, too soon, too ill
 3,614
maternal deaths per year (NDHS, 1998)
 One
in six pregnancies are aborted clandestinely (UPPI,
1996), yearly estimate around 400,000
 20%
of WRA have unmet family planning
 Low
contraceptive prevalence rate: 49%
 Filipino
women have 1 child more than their desired family
(NDHS, 1998)
RISKY LIFESTYLE
Alcoholic drinking
 Tobacco smoking
 Other drugs

Comparison of Life Expectancy, Male
and Female Filipinos, 2005
74
72.93
72
70
68
Male
67.03
66
64
Life Expectancy
(2005- Philippines)
Female
EMERGING ISSUES
THE FILIPINO MALE-DOMESTICATION
o Filipino women literacy rate is high
o Number of Filipino women now participate in income
generation
oLocal work force
oOverseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)
o Increase of Filipino men domestic roles
o Increasing number of men have expressed dissatisfaction
with male stereotypes and are consequently concerned
with there eradication
School Completion Rate 1999
80%
70%
60%
75%
74%
66%
63%
61%
58%
61%
50%
39%
40%
39%
34%
Male
Female
30%
20%
10%
0%
Elementary High School
College
Masteral
Doctorate
Source: Department of Education, Culture & Sports (1999)
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION




6-7.5 million Filipinos
(Economist 2001) are working
abroad
Women enter in labor force by
number
There are about 36 million
families affected by the
migration
Husbands assumes
responsibilities in caring the
households “house husband”
OFWs
40.73
50.27
Male
Female
NEW TYPES OF JOBS & SERVICES OF MEN:
COMMERCIALIZATION AND COMMODIFICATION OF MEN
Male guest relation officers
(similar to hostess in a night
club)
 Macho dancers
 Male beauty and bikini
contestants
 All male performing groups
 Male pin-ups
 Underwear fashion models

MEN AS RECEIVERS OF VIOLENCE
Percent Distribution of Men as Receivers of Violence
from their Partners, HMRG Screening, 2008 (n=88)
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
72.2
81.5
84.7
18.5
15.3
27.8
Your wife ever hits Your wife makes
you
you suffer
emotionally
Yes
84.1
15.9
Your wife ever
Your wife ever
demeans you or insults you in front
use hurting words
of others
No
YOUNG BOYS AND GIRLS WITH AGGRESSIVE / VIOLENT
BEHAVIOR
Being witness to or victim of abused increased likelihood
of violence
 Personal testimonies of father-participants with
problems relating with sons

OTHER ISSUES
 NEW RULES OF ROLES IN RELATIONSHIP

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
 PPROTECTION ORDER


RESEARCH ON MASCULINITIES
SUMMARY: EVOLUTION OF FILIPINO MALE
 Dominator
 Reactor
 Protector
 Partner
DOMINATOR
 Haligi
ng tahanan (Pillar of the household)
 Padre de familia (head of the family)
 Superior to women
 Control over others particularly females
 Demand that their decisions are upheld
 The use of violence is instrument to maintain
this privileged position in society
PROTECTOR
 Males
feel responsible for taking care of women
 “Men are protectors, women are to be
protected”
 Provider of the household
 Completeness of being a male by socially
significant events like getting married or having
a family
REACTOR
 Males
attribute their actions to other people
and situations
 Little acceptance of responsibility for decisions
or actions
 Women are often blamed to be the cause of
such violent acts
PARTNER
 Both
men and women are capable of contributing
to the success of a given relationship or activity
where egalitarian conditions are a premium.
 Men as partners of women are fairly recent;
 This maybe due to demands for a more sensitive
and nurturing males;
 Increasing number of men that expressed
dissatisfaction with male stereotypes and are
concerned with their eradication
“ To be affirming and optimistic about men,
to believe that men can change,
and to support every man’s effort at
positive change”.
M. Flood
Member European
Pro-Feminist Men’s Network
Men are not a homogenous group,
there are men willing to change.”
Filipino Men and Domestic Violence
MR GAD
Men’s Responsibilities in
Gender and Development