Pilipino Diaspora

The Filipino diaspora is becoming increasingly common and could possibly be one of the most important aspects to Filipino economy and family stability. To be a diaspora means leaving one’s home country in hopes of gaining more opportunities to help themselves and their family become successful. In the past few decades, there has been an increase in filipinos leaving their homeland in hopes to send back money for their families. The number of countries that they find themselves in has also increased in the past few years with the top places for Filipino Americans being the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Although the promise of a new land may bring hope for new opportunities and success, there is always the chance of complications and hardship. Some examples of these negatives would be loosing touch with one’s culture and heritage or problems arising in the family. Having to be away from one’s family for long periods of time can greatly affect the family dynamics and life at home. Overcoming these kinds of difficulties can be one of the greatest tests of a strong filipino household, but there are many positive benefits that can come out of this experience. Some of these being a stronger sense of culture, family, and independence. Given the changing circumstances of the Filipino household, the traditional role of a filipino woman is constantly being altered. Before Spanish colonization, the Philippines was a matriarchal society where women and men were mostly equal. In many situations, like before going to war, men would often consult the women beforehand and there was no sex differentiation in any craft like blacksmithing, agriculture, and cloth weaving. Also, women were allowed to hold high positions in society such as priestesses and chieftains and they had equal access to property and inheritance. But, after the Philippines was colonized by Spain, many patriarchal practices came into play and thus women became subordinate and dependent on men. Many