ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a context for understanding women’s connection to the problem of malnutrition by considering gender relations, and for understanding the recent goals and programs of international and national development organizations that focusing on “women in development.” Gender categories in Ifugao, as culturally and historically constructed artifacts, have specific meanings attributed to them by Ifugao people. Ifugao women came from varying social classes, occupations, and religions, and had different educational attainments, among other variations. Some Ifugao women, especially single women, engaged in short- or long-term migrant labor within the Philippines or overseas. The majority of Ifugao women working overseas worked either as nurses or domestic helpers; others worked in factories, as janitors, or in other non-skilled labor positions. Social class distinctions among Ifugao people were acknowledged overtly and felt on a daily basis. Power and prestige in Ifugao was most heavily dependent on wealth.
