pdf IN Policy Brief 6 - Making the “Minority Within the Minority” Visible: The Indigenous Women of the Philippines Popular

In the 1990s, the academic literature on indigenous women, particularly in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), had reached a consensus that the western feminist thesis of the “triple burden” (i.e., productive, reproductive and community roles) does not generally apply in the region’s IP communities (Casambre et al. 1992; Jeffremovas, 1992; Mackay 1993; Rovillos, 1996). This means that, except in the realm of community politics, indigenous men and women share the “burdens” in production and reproduction. This body of work also agree that women in the Cordillera are not hindered by any societal and cultural norms from having access to and control over the resources and benefits in doing productive and reproductive roles. These studies implied that where indigenous customary laws and socio-political institutions are still intact and are relatively strong, women’s oppression, discrimination based on gender or gender inequality are not evident.