Election is a numbers or statistics game. The critical demographic factors that figure in politics include age, gender, education, religion, social and political affiliation, cultural background and economic status. Every candidate and his political operatives consider these factors and attributes in mapping their campaign strategies. Of these, gender plays a major consideration and every political strategist worth his salt regards the women’s votes as a decisive component in getting his candidate elected into office.
Until 1937, Filipino women did not have the right to vote. At the start of American rule, our womenfolk strongly demanded that they be given equal political rights as the men. They worked feverishly to gain the rights of suffrage. On April 30, 1937, a plebiscite was held during the Commonwealth Period to determine whether women would be allowed to vote or not. Women’s suffrage won when 90 percent of the voters gave women the right to vote. Since they have been empowered to vote, female voters have trooped to the polls in droves. In 1939, barely two years after women were allowed to vote and be voted upon into public office, the Philippines elected its first woman senator in the person of Geronima T. Pecson. As fittingly observed by the noted election lawyer, Atty. Romulo Macalintal, “from then on and up to the present, Filipino women were allowed to vote and be voted that paved the way for active women participation in the government as we saw the emergence of great and powerful elected Filipino women leaders in our country.” And we’re one of the first countries in the world to have a democratically elected female president or head of state, courtesy of President Cory C. Aquino. Three presidential elections later, another woman, Gloria M. Arroyo, was elected as the president of our republic.
Based on Comelec’s Election Records and Statistics Division, out of the 65.7 million eligible voters for the 2022 elections, 33.6 million are women while only 32.07 million are men. This tells us that registered female voters outnumber males by 1.5 million. Indisputably, women’s support is critical in any election. This fact alone shows the vital role of women in our elections, which no serious office seeker can ignore.
Over the years, women have demonstrated that they are responsible voters. They have higher literacy rates than men. Records provided by the Philippine Statistics Authority on statistics on men and women in the country indicate that there are more female college graduates than men. Average annual income and average annual expenditures by sex of household head showed that households headed by females have higher incomes and expenditures than their male counterpart.
Based on these socio-economic indicators, females are expected to vote wisely and go for leaders who are competent and qualified. It would seem that they are less susceptible to corruption and would not be easily lured by the false promises of dishonest candidates. This phenomenon is not isolated in the Philippines. In fact, in the US, more women have voted than men since 1964. American women voted at higher percentages. Studies show that the majority of voters in recent presidential elections are women and that they vote to protect their interests. This only indicates that our female population cares about politics and the affairs of government. It would be foolhardy if a person running for a public office overlooks the women’s votes.
What are the characteristics of women voters? Do women have a distinctive voting behavior or pattern? A study in the US revealed that men and women differ in their inclination as their political knowledge increases. Scott Keeter of the Pew Research Center and Michael Delli Carpini of the University of Pennsylvania found that as they get more immersed in politics, “both single and married men become slightly more conservative, while married women move slightly in the liberal direction, and single women become quite a bit more liberal.” Knowledge seems to liberate women when it comes to their politics.
Another interesting study showed that women will not necessarily vote for a woman candidate. Having a woman candidate, however, increases “gender consciousness” and this encourages women to get involved in the political arena. This was the thesis of political scientists led by Nancy Burns of the University of Michigan in their book, The Private Roots of Public Action.
In our case, VP Leni’s candidacy will increase the turnout of female voters although it may not necessarily be to her advantage. It is critical that our women voters should see VP Leni as a robust and viable candidate so that they will flock to her. VP Leni should demonstrate her competence and qualification for the office; sisterhood alone is not enough to propel her to the presidency.
We had entrusted the presidency to women, not once, but twice in the past. American women have not broken this glass ceiling despite very serious efforts by former First Lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. So far the highest elective position they got is the vice presidency, which was won by Senator Kamala Harris in the 2020 election.
We may have a third female president if VP Leni can solidify the women’s votes behind her. If she can drive up women’s active participation in the coming election and spur them to support her, then Malacañang will be her official residence for the next six years. But that’s easier said than done. VP Leni should know what appeals most to women voters so that she can focus her campaign on them.
So, what is the female agenda? Let’s borrow a page from political scientists and authors. Drew Westen, who wrote The Political Brain, said that voters act on their feelings toward their party and its candidates more than their understanding of the issues. Ann Lewis, campaign director of Hillary Clinton, claimed that women voters “are simply more practical” to which Marion Just, professor of Wellesley and Kennedy School of Government, agreed. According to Lewis, what is important to women are “family, education, things that affect the household budget, health care,” and, she added, “war and peace.” In fact, I can see my own wife and daughters glued to the TV set watching the coverage of the war in Ukraine. Page Garner, who holds an elective office, confirmed that all her women constituents care about are “about economic opportunity—health, education for their children, wages and energy costs.” All our presidentiables may pay heed to them if they desire to harness the power of the women’s votes.