Facebook Commentaries in Leni Robredo’s Presidential Campaign: Sexism Illumination

Ailyn Capuyan; Mark Paul Capuyan; Percky Daffodil Jayme; Joemar Minoza; Rogela Flores

doi:10.19105/ojbs.v17i2.10271

Ailyn Capuyan Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043
Mark Paul Capuyan Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043
Percky Daffodil Jayme Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043
Joemar Minoza Languages, Literature and Communication Faculty, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6707-7593
Rogela Flores Languages, Literature and Communication Faculty, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

https://doi.org/10.19105/ojbs.v17i2.10271

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PDF downloads: 602

Keywords: Sexism, Gender Biases, Gender Inclusive Language, Facebook Commentaries

Abstract

Sexism in social media sites has rarely been looked into and has been scarcely seen as a crucial subject to research studies, which is alarming to the desire to achieve an equal and just society. This study focused on the sexist rhetoric used in the commentaries on 2022 Presidentiable Leni Robredo to reveal how prevalent and existing sexism in the Philippines through language is. Comments are gathered from Facebook posts pertaining to Atty. Leni Robredo. The study employed a qualitative-descriptive research design, specifically content analysis, to analyze sexist words and phrases. The weight and capability of each word's sexism were compared when it is used to insult, degrade, and malign a woman to determine its level of sexism. The study revealed that deep-rooted gender biases and sexism through language are still highly functioning in society, as is observed and experienced online. Hostile sexism is the most pervasive level of sexism and hence contributes to widespread sexism in the country and is more commonly done by the majority of males than females. It is recommended that academe should promote unbiased gender language by making every term and phrase gender inclusive as an introduction lesson/subject) to avoid sexism.

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Author Biographies

Ailyn Capuyan, Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

AILYN CAPUYAN is a graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English, majoring in English Language Studies from Cebu Technological University-Tuburan Campus. She is currently a teacher of English as a Second Language in the Native Camp. Her research interests include Sexism, Language and Gender, and Linguistics.

Mark Paul Capuyan, Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

MARK PAUL CAPUYAN graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English, majoring in English Language Studies from Cebu Technological University-Tuburan Campus. He is currently a customer service representative in a BPO company in Cebu City, Philippines. His research interests include Sexism and Linguistics.

Percky Daffodil Jayme, Languages, Literature and Communication, Alumni, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

PERCKY DAFFODIL JAYME is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in English major in English Language Studies from Cebu Technological University-Tuburan Campus. Her research interests include Sexism and Discourse Analysis.

Joemar Minoza, Languages, Literature and Communication Faculty, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

JOEMAR T. MINOZA is a resident faculty member of the Languages, Literature, and Communication Department of Cebu Technological University. He is currently pursuing his PhD in English Language Teaching at the University of the Visayas. He is also currently writing his dissertation on Philippine English. His research interests include linguistics, applied linguistics, ELT, stylistics, sociolinguistics, and Philippine English.

Rogela Flores, Languages, Literature and Communication Faculty, Cebu Technological University, Tuburan, 6043

ROGELA A. FLORES is a resident faculty member of the Languages, Literature, and Communication Department of Cebu Technological University. She is pursuing her doctorate in English Language Teaching at the Cebu Normal University. Her research interests include linguistics, applied linguistics, ELT, and sociolinguistics.

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