Maria Clara in the Twenty-first Century
The Uneasy Discourse between the Cult of the Virgin Mary and Filipino Women’s Lived Realities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rsth.35155Keywords:
Filipina, rights, religion, genderAbstract
The Virgin Mary looms large as the image of a “good” Filipina or Filipino woman in both cultural and religious landscapes in the Philippines. A “good Filipina” imagery points specifically to the weak or passive woman, who is represented by a satirical character named Maria Clara. The Roman Catholic Church reinforces such imagery to highlight the Madonna-Whore dichotomy. However, in the twenty-first century, Filipino women have come to challenge the image of a good woman as weak and passive person. This paper explores the challenges that Filipinas face in their everyday lives, which call for a re-examination of the role of Catholic faith in their lived experiences.
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