Ipamingwa: experiences of Ayta women in discrimination

Abstract

The Ayta women in Barangay Camias, Porac, Pampanga, have experienced discrimination related solely to their race and gender but their issues remain understudied. To an Ayta woman, being discriminated means "pangmamaliit sa isang tao sa kahit anong paraan, paglabag sa kanyang mga karapatan at pagtrato sa kanya ng tila ba parang hayop. (... belittling someone in any way, abusing one’s human rights and treating the person as if it was an animal.)" (Capuno, 2011) Using the phenomenological lens, this study aimed to understand the phenomena of the lived experiences, personal knowledge and subjectivity of Ayta women on discrimination, as well as, their personal perspective and interpretation of those as they live their everyday life. Through in-depth interviews with Ayta women and focus-group discussion with leaders and elders of the community, the problem that the researcher answered is what are the experiences, perception and attitudes of Ayta women towards discrimination based solely on their gender and race? Findings showed that Ayta women experience discrimination related to two extents: one which affects the whole Ayta community that burdens women two-folds; and another which directly affects Ayta women. However, the discrimination indigenous women face is often two-pronged, both from outside their society as well as from within. Ayta women deal with discrimination in different ways. They consider who their perpetrator is, the gravity of the situation and the effects of this to their life and the whole Ayta community. Affirmative action in terms of health, education and self-development programs is recommended to be given to Ayta women to help them fulfill their responsibilities very well.