Over the years women have started to generate their places in the

Over the years, women have started to generate their places in the sun. Obviously, they have understood that they are no longer mere components in a wheel but already vital parts of a whole. They now count themselves as equal partners of the male species and can contribute immensely for the upward mobility of the society. They are no longer regarded as second-class citizens or subordinates or helpers of men. They no longer stay completely in the homes for they, too, can distinguish themselves in all fields of endeavor be it in government or non-government organizations, business, industry, social work, and even in the military.

The process of creating this new kind of woman was unconceivable without the support of ideas and organizations which advocated justice and rights for women. The emergence of feminist consciousness rested on the existence and continuity of woman's rights, conventions, the suffrage and woman's club movements, and feminist organizations.

Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature.

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Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. The female literary tradition comes from the still evolving relationship between women writers and their society. Moreover, literary historians cannot treat the female imagination as a romantic or Freudian abstraction. It is the product of a delicate network of influences operating in time, and it must be analyzed as it expresses itself, in language and in fixed arrangement of words on a page, a form that itself is subject to a network of influences and conventions; including the operations of the marketplace.

Engraved in the tablets of Philippine history are the 80s, 90s and early 20th century. This is the generation that made people see the arduous journey from dictatorship to the long-sought and cherished return to democracy. It is while on this journey that artists rose to shape and mold a new the nation's awareness of stirring social changes. This was the score of hopes and dreams yet bore its share of pain and tribulation as well. Significant human experiences and events from this era are the threads the Filipino writers began to weave into a tapestry that displays a nation's courage and victory, the nobility of the human spirit and resilience of the artist's creativity. The weave is a valuable document of history. It is in this light the Filipino women of today, is no longer afraid to rock the boat, and is rather bent on treating her own waves probably because even before, she already knew her rightful place (Nayan, 1995).

People are classified in different ways, yet the easiest and oldest way is to categorize them into man or woman. Since the time of Adam, man has enjoyed an elevated position in the home, in the workplace, and in society while the woman has been viewed as a mere housekeeper, proud of her man's success outside the home. The woman's place is the home; the man's place is the board room. The woman is thought of as inferior to the man. She exists "to gratify man, be part of his conquest and enhance his manhood" (Azarcon, 1988).

This observation, elicited and imposed by society, is now throw light on by women who have become more assertive in articulating their demands for equality between the sexes and respect for rights they are entitled to.

Women valorize themselves by exploring their scale of values and position they occupy in a largely patriarchal society. The woman is not only a domesticated partner of man but someone who also carries the noble task of shaping and improving humanity. She wants to be recognized as an intellectual, capable of full participation in the society where she moves about.

Like most Asian women, the Filipina supplements and, in many cases, solely provides for the family's needs and yet, in spite of her effort, she becomes an unwilling victim of discrimination. As Azarcon (1988) refers to her lot as "double day or dual life which implies that housework and childcare is a woman's primary responsibility".

The Filipina wife is supposed to enjoy equal footing with her husband. This was true before the coming of the Spaniards when she was considered her husband's companion, not his slave (Abad, 1997).

But the Filipina wants to revolutionize this negative perception ? unwanted before birth and childhood, wanted as an adult for sex, unwanted again as an elderly. So she fights for her own place under the sun. She affirms that sex is not a determinant of a person's capacity and ability to serve the people and to stand as an individual. Espousing feminism, she wants to "struggle for equal rights at all levels in the present socio-cultural system where man enjoys the dominant role." (Nayan, 1995)

The researcher intends to study the topic because of the emerging trends about gender orientation and behavior in the diverse society.