Being a woman means living in fear. This was written in an article I read some time ago and it has resonated with me deeply. How many times have you left the house double-checking, then triple checking what you were wearing in fear that those around you might get the wrong signal? As a young woman myself, I can truly and honestly say that it is terrifying to be a woman at this age. That is the sad reality. Sustainable Development Goal 5 centers around achieving gender equality and women empowerment with current issues such as violence against women, gender pay gap, and unequal participation in decision-making beyond national parliaments. Isn’t it unfair? The fact that I have to write essay after essay about why being a woman is scary. Shouldn’t it already be a given to be treated with respect? I want to shine light on the social injustices and dangers a woman has to go through because not enough people exactly understand what it means to be one. In this discourse, I will advocate about how women and young girls suffer life-threatening risks due to the lack of resources and empowerment in society.
Imagine this, you are a 17-year-old girl who missed her period for weeks. This has never happened before, your period always came at a scheduled time. You shrug it off and think nothing of it, then weeks pass by and you still don’t have it. Now you start to worry because not only did you lose your period, but you’ve been feeling sick for the past few days 一 nauseated and tired. You search up your symptoms and the first result that comes out is “pregnancy.” You’re confused because you thought you did everything the right way, at least that’s what you thought. You never learned about contraceptives or how to do it safely. It is not part of your curriculum and now you’re alone in your room staring at the two lines on the test. You’re pregnant. What do you do next?
“No sex before marriage,” I’m sure you have all heard about this saying. According to The Borgen Project, 80% of Philippine residents distinguish themselves as Roman Catholics. While it’s said that the church and state are separated, the church has more influence than it should have, especially here in the Philippines. In fear of increasing sexual relations, they refrain from educating the masses about topics such as sex and reproductive health. It is assumed that the parents should be the ones to educate their children on matters of reproductive health. Lack of sex education and reproductive health are one of the largest reasons why unplanned pregnancies happen. Some people may say that it’s the woman’s fault for partaking in sexual activities—this is something that can be controlled with just the “no sex before marriage” saying. Unwanted pregnancies can be avoided, but how would they know how to when they were never taught about it? In a report studied by the UNFPA, it was reported that globally, over 250 million women who want to avoid pregnancy aren’t using safe contraception methods. This does not and should not only apply to women. Sex shouldn’t be a taboo topic because people of all genders do it, and everyone has the right to know how to do it in a safe manner.
You don’t know what to do next. Telling your parents isn’t an option and neither is keeping the child. You’re 17, alone, and have no idea on what to do. You research on options of what you could do 一 the orphanage, adoption, or abortion. The orphanage is out of the options immediately, knowing full well that the orphanages in your country aren’t the best. Adoption could work, however, your parents can’t know. For years, they’ve been drilling into your head that intercourse is bad and you shouldn’t do it. You never really believed it when they said that, but now you’re not so sure. You’re not sure of anything, however, there’s one thing that you know, it’s that you can’t give your baby the life it deserves. You don’t have the money, you don’t have the support. So, you turn to your last option: Abortion. An abortion is a procedure women undergo if they don’t want to continue with their pregnancy. It has been an ongoing battle for years whether to make it legal or not. And why shouldn’t it be legal? After all, it’s you who’s carrying the baby 一 you who will be responsible for them. Every woman should have the right to make the choices on whether or not she wants to undergo the procedure. If they do choose to undergo it, they should have the right to be able to get through it safely. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 8 minutes, a woman in a developing nation will die of complications from an unsafe abortion. Did you know that over 1,000 Filipino women die each year because of post-abortion complications? This is due to the fact that there are no legalized facilities here where women could go to get the procedure safely done. Instead, they turn to their last options which put them at risk. The consequences of these are life-threatening.
And after all you went through, you have to deal with the fear instilled in you. Fear of the judgment you’ll get from those around you. Fear from undergoing an unsafe procedure. When a woman is pregnant 一 either it be out of wedlock or a wanted pregnancy, she’s always going to be the one that gets hit the hardest in the end. She’s the one that will deal with the changes of her physical, mental, and emotional state. She’s the one that will deal with the questions and judgemental stares. She’s the one being told around about what and not what to do with her body.
Women empowerment is all about knowing and promoting our self-worth. It’s about having the freedom to choose for ourselves without worrying about being harmed or judged. It is the ability to let people know that it’s okay to change the social hierarchy between different genders until we all reach a common ground. That is the one and only way we could achieve a peaceful and prosperous society.
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