Women leaders' experiences in community organizing for housing rights: Contributions, tensions, and negotiations

Abstract

Background:  Women are crucial leaders of the Alliance of People's Organizations Along Manggahan Floodway (APOAMF), a federation of people's organizations in Pasig City who have successfully implemented their People's Plan for in-city housing. As leaders of their federation, they are also leaders of their community's struggle.

Objective:  This paper aims to outline the contributions of the women leaders of APOAMF to their successful People's Plan and to examine the ways in which their participation in this struggle affected their daily lives.

Methodology:  The study followed a feminist methodology in its use of a focus group discussion with five APO-AMF women leaders and four APO-AMF women members. The questions were designed to elicit stories of women's participation and leadership during the overall community experience of organizing for their right to decent housing. In addition to the initial questions provided by the researcher, the women took control of the narrative even beyond the prepared questions, leading to a co-creation and re-presentation of their story. The research findings were theoretically discussed using the framework of women-centered community organizing.

Results:  Over the course of their involvement in the struggle for housing, women experienced a personal journey towards becoming established community leaders. They became involved because they saw it as an opportunity for service, wanted to secure a decent home for their family, and understood the need for safe and secure housing. They contributed to the struggle through various acts of leading and organizing their community, engaging in dialogue internally and externally, and emotionally nurturing their community to persist in their struggle. These contributions also highlighted the difference between women and men in community leadership. On the other hand, this struggle also exacted a toll on the women leaders. The women noted that they sacrificed time at home,
time with family, and time for one's self. In the tension between contribution and sacrifice, the women often resolved this by highlighting the reality that their struggle was for the good of the whole community, not just for themselves; that the whole organization would benefit, not just their family.

Conclusion: The provision of safe and decent housing must truly empower women in both the public and private spheres. Even as women are capable community leaders in the public sphere, they also retain duties in the private sphere–culminating in a double burden for these women leaders. Community organizing then, aside from raising the consciousness of the people regarding the issue, must also include raising awareness on gender roles and dynamics.