ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S STATUS AND ROLE: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN IN PHILIPPINE SOCIETY Christine Carmela R. Ramos INTRODUCTION The Philippines, according to the Commission on Population (1994), is a country where more than half of the population remain impoverished and the number of people increase at an alarming rate of 2.3 every year. In 1992 alone, the Philippines had a population of 65 million, according to the Human Development Report (1994). To make the scenario worse, income distribution continues to be highly lopsided. The top 20% of the population accounts for only 5% of total income (Commission on Population, 1994). Compared with other developed countries, an average Filipino’s salary is almost nil. The lack of jobs add to the burden of Filipino families. In 1991, unemployment remained high at 10.6% while underemployment was an estimated 31.6% (Commission on Population, 1994). In short, there are many needs unmet despite the much predicted economic take- off for the next millennium. Faced with these insurmountable realities, this paper will attempt to address the following questions: What is the historical perspective of Filipino women? What is the situation of Filipino women at present? How do the emerging roles of Filipino women affect family life? This paper aims to briefly discuss the historical background of Filipino women from the pre-colonial period to the American Colonization. A socio-economic approach will be utilized for discussing women’s conditions at present and their implications on family life vis-à-vis the government’s policies regarding women. Paper presented at Hertford Regional College: Ware Center, England, 1996