The document discusses a field work project conducted with the All UP Unions to mainstream gender issues and increase women's participation. It involved conducting a survey, focus group discussion, and producing gender-disaggregated data to assess women's involvement and make recommendations. The project aimed to help establish a Gender Committee and strengthen the All UP Women Solidarity organization.

1. WOMEN AND THE ALL UP UNIONS
Mainstreaming the Women’s Agenda
An Integrated Field Work Paper
Jelina Tetangco / Cindy Cruz-Cabrera
Field Instruction Program
Women and Development Studies, UP CSWCD
Read the full paper here: http://cindycruzcabrera.wordpress.com/papers/

2. Glossary of Gender Terms

3. Gender
• A socio-cultural construction which: a) defines and informs
notions of femininity and masculinity, where each sex
behaves according to these notions or socially and
culturally dictated identities and is expected to perform
social roles and tasks assigned to it; and b) are mistakenly
believed to be natural and inherent.
Gender equality
• A quality or state of society where the both personal
relations and social, economic and political structures and
institutions (the economy, the family, the state, religion, the
educational system and the mass media) are structured in a
non-dominating way to allow the development of the full
potential and creativity and self-determination of every
woman and man. A term which reflects an equal sharing of
power between women and men, in their equal access to
education, health, administrative and managerial positions,
equal pay for work of equal value and equal seats in
parliament, among others.

4. Gender awareness
• The recognition that the life experiences, expectations, and needs
of women and men are different, that many times they involve
inequity, and that they are subject to change. In development and
relief work, gender awareness refers to the perception and
realization of the ways in which women and men participate in the
development process, how they are affected by it, and how they
benefit from it. Experience has shown that without such awareness,
not only will development and relief interventions fail to meet the
needs and serve the interests of all people they are intended to
help, but they may indeed hinder the situation of women.
Gender mainstreaming
• Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the
implications for women and men of any planned action, including
legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels. It is
a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as
well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all
political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men
benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal
of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality.

5. Sexual division of labor
a) The assignment of tasks based on socially constructed gender
differences, physical strength, and biological determinism where
childcare and rearing, nurturance and maintenance of family
members, and household tasks had become socially mandated
attachments to female child-bearing;
b) The creation of opposing categories of female and male work
within the production process, and the establishment of a hierarchy
of jobs where specific definitions of masculinity and femininity in
the workplace dictate which sex is superior in skill and competence
and has the authority and the power to discipline;
c) the designation of male and female work with colorations of
importance and prestige to male productive work, and inferiority
and invisibility to female productive and reproductive work.
• Sexual harassment
• Unwanted sex-related behavior toward somebody, for example,
touching somebody or making suggestive remarks, especially by
somebody with authority to a subordinate

6. Gender-based issue
• A central or most important topic of debate issuing
from a specific reality of one gender
Gender-disaggregated data
• Data or statistics which are classified or regrouped
using gender in order to surface implications and give
us a clearer understanding of the patterns of women’s
participation in activities or industries
Gender sensitivity training (or GST)
• A workshop conducted for both men and women,
designed with the general goal of developing a more
critical eye for identifying, examining, defining, and
evaluating socio-cultural, religious, political and
economic principles, perceptions, beliefs, and practices
which limit oppress, subordinate and dominate women
in their roles, behavior, options, activities, work, access
to resources.

7. Introduction

8. Background on the All UP Unions
• The All UP Workers Union was established in July 1987 for all
employees belonging to the administration, REPS and faculty
sectors of the University of the Philippines.
• The All UP Workers Union’s orientation and call to action are
expressed in the tag line “Militante, Progresibo at Makabayan”
– “Militante” because the strength of the organization rests in the
unified action of the union members in championing its petitions
instead of relying on the connections and influence of a few leaders;
– “Progresibo” because the organization is committed to
defending, supporting, and promoting the rights and interests of its
members as well as the welfare of the Filipino people;
– “Makabayan”, because the organization recognizes that matters and
issues relating to workers’ rights, employment, and just compensation
are rooted in and cannot be separated from national issues and
problems, which is why it is important for the Filipino people to join
forces and participate in the continuing struggle for genuine freedom
and democracy.

9. Principles and Objectives
• To devote itself to the promotion and protection of the
economic and democratic rights and the general welfare of
all employees, especially the administrative sector, in the
University by
– Securing for its members the most just and reasonable terms of
employment; and
– Eliminate oppressive features of employment;
• To provide the fullest opportunity for its members, through
appropriate education programs, to enhance their social
and political awareness, to the end that they become
militant in the defence and advancement of their interests
and rights in the University of the Philippines;
• To promote closer relationships and mutual understanding
among members in order to achieve greater unity;

10. Principles and Objectives
• To strive for the adoption of legislative policies and
other government measures that will promote the
well-being of its members and the working people in
general by
– Continuously informing its members about critical public
issues, and
– Undertake a united stand on these questions, in the
interest of their collective concerns in common with the
rest of the working people;
• To establish close relations with other labor
organizations and centers in the University and in
national and international arenas, particularly with
those which share its principles and objectives.

11. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
AND PROCESSES

12. Objectives
• To conduct research that will
– look into issues affecting women-members' active
participation in the Union, both positively and
negatively
– provide recommendations to increase their
participation
• To produce gender disaggregated data in membership
(Workers and Academic), as well as determine gender
disaggregation at the committee level;
• To help organize Gender Committee/s for All UP Workers
Union (at the minimum), and All UP Academic Union
(maximum);
• To assist in the consolidation and strengthening of the All
UP Women Solidarity; and
• To assess the achievements and gaps of the All UP Workers
Union in terms of addressing gender issues.

13. Accomplishments
• Meetings and discussions with Faculty Supervisor Ma’am Natsy, Agency
Supervisor Lisa, and All UP Women Solidarity core group members Ate
Fransing and Ate Connie
• Learning sessions/discussions with officers and active members of the
Union, led by AUWU President Ka Buboy and Vice-President Ka Noli
• Survey
– Brainstorming sessions
– Creation and review of survey questionnaire
– Gathering of answered survey forms from different UP units
– Interview method conducted with employees too busy to answer the survey
– Raw data processing
– Analysis of results
• FGD
– Brainstorming sessions
– Creation of key questions
– Selection and invitation of FGD participants
– Actual FGD
– Processing of results

14. • Draft of Gender Committee Framework created based on
survey and FGD results
• Gender-disaggregation of membership data for Workers
and Academic Employees Unions
• Review and assessment of the achievements and gaps of
the Union in gender
• Primary and secondary data gathering for organizational
analysis of the All UPWS
• Creation of guidelines and recommendations for
consolidating All UP Women Solidarity, pending review of
the Agency and Faculty Supervisors
• Draft of Final Report containing important findings of
survey and FGD, and recommendations for strengthening
the Gender Committee
• Integrated Field Paper: Final Report containing all
deliverables with feedback from Agency and Faculty
Supervisors already incorporated

15. Lessons and Insights

16. Midterm: Summary
• The All UP Unions have demonstrated consistently that they look
out for not only the employees’ interests but also for the interests
of all – faculty and REPS, students, employees’ families, community
members, and, through their continuing participation in struggles
relating to national issues, for the Filipino people.
• Their conviction that the conditions and issues within the UP
System and communities are linked with national issues, and their
participation in the fight for the rights and privileges of Filipinos
within their constituency and at large clearly proves that they put a
premium on education through awareness and consciousness-
raising and on committing their advocacies into action.
• The ideals put forth by the All UP Unions translate concretely into
their practice such as the officers’ conduct of their duties and
responsibilities, their planned action borne of positions on issues
and their efforts to motivate their constituents to take part in
activities and mobilizations.

17. • The commitment and genuine concern of officers and
active members for issues within UP and on a community
and national level is evident in their solution- and action-
oriented responses to these.
• The Union office is truly a venue for discussion and
consultation, where any person in need of help is welcome.
The officers and active members make themselves
available to people in need of help or
consultation, promptly responding and arriving at the union
office.
• The Union office has successfully created and nurtured an
environment that values women’s participation and
perspectives.
• Despite the Union office being a center for issues and
problems, the atmosphere fostered is light, with the
seriousness in tackling these tempered with humor and
warm regard for each other.

18. Term-End: Summary
• Theoretical knowledge the field students have learned
about organizing, history and perspectives, feminist
research, feminist theories, women and work, gender
planning, and feminist psychology have been corroborated
and applied through learning opportunities provided by the
Unions. The field students acquired a direct personal
awareness through a genuine theory-into-practice
experience at the agency.
• The field students became sharper and more discerning as
observers through participation in day-to-day and planned
activities. The field students appreciated the wealth of
knowledge and experience afforded by immersion and
context.
• Field work made theoretical knowledge instinctive in
analyses and action (ownership of the concepts).

19. FIELDWORK OUTPUT
DELIVERABLES

20. Investigation of the UP Union
Women-Members’ Participation
• Survey
– Objectives of Survey
– Survey Questionnaire
– Results and Analysis
• Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
– Discussion Questions
– Conduct and Review of the Meeting
– Results
• Analysis
• Conclusion and Recommendations

21. Production of Gender Disaggregated
Data: All UP Workers Union
• Profile of All UP Workers Union Members
• Breakdown of respondents
• Constraints Encountered
• Recommendations

22. Production of Gender Disaggregated Data:
All UP Academic Employees Union
• Profile of All UP Academic Employees Union
Members
• Breakdown of respondents
• Constraints Encountered
• Recommendations

23. Consolidation of the Gender Committee
• Background
• Gender Committee Framework
• Objectives
• Duties and Responsibilities
• Committee Members
• Gender and Development (GAD) Plan
• Delineation between Gender Committee and
All UP Women Solidarity
• Gender-disaggregated membership data

24. Consolidation of the
All UP Women Solidarity
• Introduction
• Nature of the Organization
• Conclusion and Recommendations

25. Assessment of Achievement and Gaps
in Addressing Gender Issues
• Achievements
• Gaps

26. Bibliography
• Adamson, et al. "Chapter 7: Feminist Organizations and Feminist Process." Feminist
• Organizing for Change: The Contemporary Women's Movement in Canada.
• All UP Academic Employees Union: Isang Praymer.
• All UP Workers Union. Collective Negotiation Agreement. Quezon City: UP Diliman, 2002.
• All UP Workers Union. Constitution and By-Laws: Amended All UP Workers Constitution as of
• December 7, 2001.
• Elicuk, Arlene V. "Chapter 5: The Conflict Between Feminist Ideology and the need for
• Organizational Structure" . A Critical Analysis of Feminist Ideology and the Need for Organizational
Structure. MSW Thesis,1979.
• Eviota, Elizabeth Uy. The Political Economy of Gender: Women and the Sexual Division of
• Labour in the Philippines. London: Zed Books, 1992.
• GST Gateway: Toolkit on Collecting Gender Disaggregated Data
• http://gstgateway.wigsat.org/toolkit/ch1.html
• International Labor Organization. Gender Equity Tool.
• http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/gender/newsite2002/about/defin.htm
• PAGADUAN, Maureen. "Women Organizing: Strategies for Empowerment". Proceedings:
• Gender and Development and Gender Issues in Development Work with Indigenous People. NOVIB
Working Group on Women Organizing and Rural Development , 1995.
• SACHET: Society for the Advancement of Community, Health, Education, and Training
• http://sachet.org.pk/home/g_for_gender/g_for_gender.asp#26