Portrayals of women and feminist issues on feminist -themed Filipino movies: A content analysis

Abstract

This descriptive study analyzed two feminist-themed movies in the Philippines in terms of their portrayals of women and issues concerning women. Specifically, this study sought to examine how women were portrayed in the selected movies using (1) characterlevel analysis, which included observation of personal characteristics, appearances, and gender roles portrayed by the female characters); and, (2) scene-level analysis, which identified issues of sexualization, subordination, underrepresentation, violence, and acts of empowerment. This study also explored how these portrayals of women and feminist issues relate to the social realities of the films’ milieu. The findings revealed that there were some disparities between Sister Stella L. and Crying Ladies in terms of their portrayal of female characters, most notably in personal appearances and clothing. There were significant presentations of issues concerning women such as sexualization, underrepresentation, subordination, and violence. Female characters in both films were observed to have participated in traditional gender roles as well as in community politics and productive roles. These participation of women in non-traditional feminine roles in the films confirmed that female characters are empowered specifically in welfare, access, conscientization, participation, and control.