Decision Making Process of Female Dumagat Chieftains: An Analysis

Abstract

This research entitled “Decision Making Process of Female Dumagat Chieftains: An Analysis,” aimed to understand how female Dumagat chieftains handle issues and disputes among their tribe members specifically on matters such as: Law Enforcement, Prosecution and Correction. This study aimed to know how female chieftains decide on situations that require their candid decisions. This also further investigated on what factors are being considered by these female chieftains in coming up with settlement and decisions on problems that are being presented to them by the tribe members. Finally, research also included how the tribes react on crucial decisions and how the female chieftains themselves feel about the decisions they have made which were questioned.

This research made use of phenomenological approach in understanding the lives and experiences of the female chieftains in Sierra Madre, Norzagaray Bulacan. The participants in this study included all the chieftains among the different tribes. This was conducted between the months of March – May 2019.

It was found out that female chieftains can experience discrimination from their male counterparts specially when it comes to settling disputes. It was also found out that these chieftains experience situations in which their decisions and positions are being questioned because of their gender. This study therefore, wanted to unearth the real-life experience of female chieftains of the Dumagat tribes.

This endeavor is not only an eye opener for women’s rights advocates, but this serves as a concrete example that discrimination among women in a patriarchal society is still prevalent.

From this research, it is recommended that gender sensitivity and awareness may not only be applicable for lowlanders, as they call the people in the cities, but gender sensitivity should also be disseminated among indigenous peoples.

Keywords: Decision Making, Indigenous Peoples, Law Enforcement

JEL Classification: Z38, Z13, Z18