Pilipina Womyn's Solidarity

I interviewed three Pilipina womyn who are part of one of the Pil-orgs on campus called GABRIELA Network(Gabnet). Gabnet is a Philippine-US womyn's solidarity organization that raises awareness and fights issues facing Pilipina women. The womyn I spoke with touched on so many parts of feminist theory without my prompting that the responses of one question answers so many other questions. For instance, Gabnet itself contradicts de Beauvoir's theory that an authentic womyn's movement is not possible because women are dispersed amongst men and they are incapable of coming together because of their ties to men are stronger than their ties with other women(DB,p.xxv). Gabnet also conducts consciousness raising through intimate discussions they have with small groups of womyn, which MacKinnon finds to be the roots of feminist theory(MacKinnon,p.231). These Pilipinas are quite possibly developing feminist theory without even realizing. Gabnet understands that social structures and social consciousness needs to change in order for womyn to truly be emancipated, just as de Beauvoir believed socialism would be that ultimate change of structure that will help free womyn(DB,p.728). The womyn interviewed understand the subject and object relationship that men and womyn have, and that having womyn equal men still allows men to be set as the standard(DB,p.xxii). The womyn interviewed hit so many points from feminist theory, that simply watching the video will explain it all.

Looking at my institution of the pil-community at Cal, one of the first thoughts that come to mind is solidarity. Gabnet is almost a microcosm of the very community it is a part of. Durkheim would easily recognize the mechanical and organic solidarity that holds the pil-community together. For Gabnet, mechanical solidarity is what truly reigns since it brings together womyn of all cultures and classes under their shared female identity. Gabnet is a part of the organic solidarity that unites the pil-community because Gabnet specializes in the Pilipina womyn's issues, just as other organizations specialize in other issues that face Pilipinos. De Beauvoir would criticize Durkheim's idea of mechanical solidarity for womyn because she would think it is impossible for womyn to unite since they are dispersed among men. MacKinnon would believe that womyn's solidarity is possible through the small groups of womyn raising consciousness by the discussion of womyn's issues. De Beauvoir would also disagree with Durkheim's idea of natural abilities deciding "spontaneous division of labor" because womyn's natural abilities are socially constructed. MacKinnon and de Beauvoir would agree with the idea that "woman" is socially constructed by men, and Durkheim would think that women naturally exist.

**Why we spell "Womyn" with a "y": Womyn