In August of this year, the Philippines adopted the Magna Carta for Women (MCW), a bill that prohibits discrimination against women in education and employment and provides for equal protection in marriage and health care. This legislation added to 27 preexisting laws concerning the rights of women.

Although women’s groups celebrate the MCW’s passage, many claim that implementation hasn’t occurred. The Philippines has had two female presidents, however many see these success stories as outliers. Mary Joan Guan of the Centre for Women’s Research told IPS that “Most Filipino women live on the fringes of society, where many undertake low-skilled irregular or contractual employment.”

Guan added that in order for these laws to have true meaning, men must also demand equal treatment for women.

National coordinator of United Nations Development Fund for Women, Luz Rodriguez, said, “We have won a battle but not quite the war.”

Women’s Rights Laws in Place- IPS