WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

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GENDER AND POLITICS: A CASE STUDY ON THE EXPERIENCES OF SELECTED ILONGGO

WOMEN POLITICIANS IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ILOILO PROVINCE

An Undergraduate Thesis

Presented to

the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences

West Visayas State University

La Paz, Iloilo City

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Arts

(Political Science)

by

Nachelle Therese V. Baylon

Hannah Mica P. Gonzales

Bernadine Nikki Marie G. Pacificador

˻ March 2018
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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

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APPROVAL SHEET

This undergraduate thesis entitled, Gender and Politics: A Case Study on the

Experiences of Selected Ilonggo Women Politicians in Public Service in Iloilo Province,

prepared and submitted by Nachelle Therese V. Baylon, Hannah Mica P. Gonzales, and

Bernadine Nikki Marie G. Pacificador, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, is hereby approved.

JOYCE CHRISTINE D. COLON

TEOFILO R. RABANES, Ed. D.

MARY ANN M. DELA VEGA, Ph. D.

LEAH MAE C. CABALFIN, Ph. D.

˻
March 2018

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The researchers would like to thank the following for the accomplishment of this

paper:

Prof. Joyce Christine Colon, thesis adviser, for her unyielding support, venerated

knowledge, passionate professionalism, and motherly humor;

Prof. Ditas Ligue, editor, for her support and encouragement;

Prof. Mary Ann Dela Vega, thesis professor and subject adviser, for offering

moral support and possessing admirable patience;

The participants of the study, for their cooperation, powerful insight, and for

helping contribute to future gender studies;

Their parents, for their unconditional love, moral, emotional and especially

financial support; and

And most of all, to the Heavenly God above, for without whom it would not be

possible to accomplish anything.

To all of them, this effort is humbly dedicated.

Nachelle Therese V. Baylon

Hannah Mica P. Gonzales

Bernadine Nikki Marie G. Pacificador

March 2018

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

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Baylon, Nachelle Therese V., Gonzales, Hannah Mica P., and Pacificador, Bernadine Nikki
Marie G. Gender and Politics: A Case Study on the Experiences of Selected
Ilonggo Women Politicians in Public Service in Iloilo Province. Unpublished
Undergraduate Thesis, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, West Visayas State
University, Iloilo City, March 2018.

Abstract

This research explores the lived experiences of selected Ilonggo women politicians. It

examines their performance in public governance as influenced by their various socio-

cultural, political, and economic conditions. It presents how these women politicians

address gender issues and concerns in their respective localities and the gender-related

initiatives they advocate. This study also highlights new developments in women’s

political participation, in terms of representation, participation, and influencing the

agenda. Case study was utilized to gain deeper insight into analyzing the factors that

could explain the role local women leaders play in governance and decision-making, with

regards to gender politics. Data was generated from personal interviews that were

conducted with five women specifically selected from different administrative and

political sectors in the Province of Iloilo; each session was transcribed and analyzed

according to similar themes within the respondent’s statements. In this study, the

researchers clarify the success of gender-equity efforts that rely on the interaction

between three factors: the strength of the gender-equity consciousness; the credibility

of female politicians; and the enforcement of national commitments to gender-equity.

Despite the notable progress made in recent decades, this research concludes that there

are obstacles which hinder the performance of the selected Ilonggo women politicians

such as women’s active involvement and equal opportunities between men and women.

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

˹ TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page

Title Page i

Approval Sheet ii

Acknowledgment iii

Abstract iv

Table of Contents v

List of Tables viii

List of Appendices ix

Chapter

1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1

Background of the Study 2

Conceptual Framework of the Study 4

Statement of the Problem 9

Significance of the Study 10

Definition of Terms 11

Scope and Delimitation of the Study 13

Subjectivity Statement 14

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 15

Women’s Political Participation 15

Statistical Data 16

Barriers 17

Men, Women, and Leadership 18

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

˹ Summary of Related Literature 19 ˺

Purpose of the Study 21

Research Design 21

Methodology 22

Participants 22

Ethical Considerations 22

Data Gathering Instruments 23

Data Gathering Procedure 23

Data Analysis Procedure 23

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 25

Results 25

Respondent A 25

Respondent B 29

Respondent C 32

Respondent D 40

Respondent E 43

Discussion 48

5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 52

Summary 52

Conclusions 52

Implications 53

Recommendations 54

˻ References

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

˹ Appendices 62 ˺
Research Certification 99

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

˹ LIST OF TABLES ˺
Table Page

1 Background of Participants 45

2 Gender-related Programs and/or Activities 46

3 Gender-related Issues and/or Challenges 46

4 Strategies to Address Gender-related Issues and/or Challenges 47

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 WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Iloilo City

˹ LIST OF APPENDICES
˺
Appendix Page

A Sample Consent Form 63

B Questionnaire 64

C Transcriptions 65

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