Towards a Political Motherhood: Embodied Citizenship of Filipino Women in Early Twentieth-Century Manila, Philippines

Date of Award

7-1-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts major in History (Option I: Thesis)

First Advisor

Kristine Michelle L. Santos, PhD

Abstract

Recent historiography on early twentieth century Filipino women has presented the dynamics of discipline and agency in their engagement with the colonial state. It has yet to explore the act of mothering and the institution of motherhood defined by the early twentieth century Filipino women. The emerging field of motherhood studies has shifted the examination of different experiences of mothering and the institutionalization of motherhood across societies, contemporary and historical towards a female-centered and female-defined perspective.

This thesis explores the history of motherhood in the early twentieth century Manila as articulated by women in periodicals, which became an integral arena for representation and negotiation that constituted a counterpublic. Using thematic content analysis and lay legal history, this study examines how Filipino women embodied their citizenship. The study shows the elite Filipino women’s political motherhood defining their identities and negotiating their position within society. The research presents the dynamics of women's engagement in political motherhood in the public discourses that translated to the legislation relevant to motherhood, such as the maternity leave act. The study concludes that elite Filipino women had a limited agency in defining a narrow perspective on motherhood and provides insights on political and intellectual mothering among women advocates.

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