I don’t talk about “women’s issues” or politics here very often, but every once in a while I see something that just seems unusual enough to most of my “Western” readers that it deserves discussion. Yesterday Mita highlighted a very interesting statistic:
MORE women than men occupied the top positions in Philippine companies in 2006—2.257 million of them compared with only 1.629 million men, according to a labor department survey… Full article here: (worth a read)
The research indicated the main reason behind this fact seemed to be that women in the Philippines are better educated than men, and that the educational gap between women and men was getting wider, quickly. A lot more women than men graduate college each year. I’m not sure that’s the real reason, though.
In the US women’s college graduation rate also exceeds men (interesting aside … I found it difficult as hell to find decent proof for this in women and men in general, every single recent study seemed to be only about grad rates of women college athletes versus male college athletes … where, of course, the distinction is even more marked … seems that the US doesn’t even care about college students who aren’t wasting time and money learning on the playing fields … )but anyway, fact remains, when a woman starts college she has a higher chance of finishing than does her brother.
Having worked in the US for many years and having made formal studies in the field of women’s rights and female discrimination, both private and institutional, I predict it will take another 20 to 40 years before the US will have industry male/female executive figures that match The Philippines. Recall that the Philippines, whose years of independence only started in 1946 has already had two woman presidents. And although both of them came to power by extraordinary means they both have been full-fledged president in their own right and have gotten as much done … perhaps a lot more … than any of their male counterparts.
In the US we half-heartedly fielded a woman of little consequence for vice-president, almost as if the powers that be wanted to show “women weren’t ready” and in this coming election we may see a woman of consequence be a major party candidate. But if you’re a betting person? Place your money elsewhere, she’s not going to win even if she makes it on the ticket. The US is still that “down” on women. Dave says so.
Bottom line is, if you’re the type of man who has trouble with women being the ones with the ’say” (and in my eight years of working with men actively looking for Filipina wives, I’d say there’s a huge percentage who want to “marry a Filipina because she’s submissive” types) then you should think twice or even three times before you jump in … a shy and quiet manner and a delicate way of stroking the male ego does not equate to submissiveness or weakness. Here, women rule.
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