How Ancient Filipino Myths Challenge Modern Gender Inequality
All indigenous peoples, including our ancestors, crafted rich folklore to explain the origins of the world. These myths were born from the social conditions of our primitive past and lack any scientific foundation. Yet, they have endured through centuries, deeply influencing how people relate to each other, the world, and the supernatural forces that often take center stage in these tales.
Filipino Creation Myths: A Tale of Equality
Among the Tagalogs, the first man, Malakas, and the first woman, Maganda, emerged together from a bamboo pole that the bird Amihan split open. In Mandaya mythology, man and woman originated from two separate eggs. In both of these indigenous Filipino stories, woman was not created from or after man. Instead, they came into existence simultaneously, different yet fundamentally equal in their humanity.
This raises a critical question: Why, then, have women historically had to struggle for equality with men? The answer may lie in the dominance of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic creation narratives, where God fashioned Eve from Adam's rib. This myth has profoundly shaped societal structures, with women often playing a subordinate role to men, particularly in regions heavily influenced by Islamic traditions compared to Judeo-Christian societies.
The Impact of Colonization on Gender Roles
If the Philippines had not been colonized first by Spaniards and later by Americans, both of whom propagated the myth of Eve's creation from Adam's rib, discrimination against women in this country might be less pronounced. Despite this external influence, Filipino folklore has fostered what is, at its core, a matriarchal society. Filipino women enjoy a slightly higher social standing compared to women in countries predominantly shaped by traditional Islamic and Judeo-Christian myths.
The biblical account of Adam and Eve, which fits the definition of a myth as a folk tale without scientific basis about creation by a supernatural power, became woven into the Filipino psyche through conversion to Spanish medieval Catholicism. This narrative underpins teachings like St. Paul's admonition in Ephesians for wives to be subject to their husbands, while husbands are urged to respect their wives—a contradiction that highlights the complex gender dynamics at play.
Broader Implications for Society and Religion
This myth may also explain why women cannot be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church. More troublingly, it might account for why Filipino children are often taught to avoid sexual sins primarily, while overlooking more egregious acts of injustice, such as cruelty to subordinates or underpayment of workers. In religious terms, God created all humans—men, women, and every identity in between—as equals.
Drawing from Baruch Spinoza's philosophy, we are all parts of one organic whole, some of us call God, where we play different roles as equals. Equality, not the mythical subordination of women or the so-called third sex to men, should govern all human relationships. Men owe it to women to honor and respect them as equals. Women may be configured differently, but they are in no way inferior to men. In fact, one could argue that women might be the superior sex, as no woman was born of a man, yet every man was born of a woman. Ultimately, this underscores the profound debt men owe to women in the pursuit of true equality.
