Title: Manila, Market Place
Year: 1932/1937
Location: Manila, Philippines
Photographer: Kane, Albert E.
Refrence: https://cudl.colorado.edu/luna/servlet/workspace
https://canvas.colorado.edu/courses/89438/modules/items/4492754
Women Run The Marketplace, I chose this title for my essay because it details the importance of women in the marketplace and the significance they bring to markets. In this image, we can see women at work in the sunny conditions that are in Manila, Philippines. By this image we can tell that it looks like they are preparing some type of vegetable for consumers.
This image shows us the amount of value that marketplaces had. As we can see from this picture, marketplaces in Milan were starting to get bigger and become more popular. This image is popular because it shows how much growth marketplaces have been able to have. When this image was taken, the marketplace in Milan was not as big as they are today. Having this picture today allows us to see the growth these marketplaces have been able to have. Manila’s markets have been an essential part of this city. In the late 1500s marketplaces villages were centered around marketplaces, as there were more people around these places (History of Manila). This information is essential because to this day marketplaces, which can be considered malls, shopping centers, grocery stores, etc are also built around areas where there are plenty of people. It is rare to see a commercial area where there is a minimal population. This ties back to our point on how essential these marketplaces were in the development of Manila. Continuing with the importance of history Manila became a major trading city (History of Manila). This could not have been possible without these marketplaces as they brought attention to Manials evolving economy. Markets are essential pieces for the growth of the economy, not only do they provide a space where people can buy and sell goods but they also provide money to the economy which allows it to be successful (Kenton, 2023). This historic image provides the background of what became a booming economy due to their initial investment or care for a marketplace. Looking at this image today and looking at an image of a shopping mall today in Manila we can see the clear distinction between them.
As you can see this society has been able to evolve so much that it has become a city with shopping malls. It is important to note this because not every city is able to evolve from outdoor marketplaces in the 1900’s to shopping malls with food areas and clothing stores inside them. Manila has been able to succeed in this due to their early innovations in market places. Not only in the marketplace but in the gener inequality the Philippines has been one step ahead.
Gender inequality is an issue we, unfortunately, have to deal with in the 20th century. In the Philippines, gender disparity has had an impressive small gap of gender disparities (Wpadmin, 2018). While by no means does this mean men and women have equal opportunities, treatment, and pay it is not as far down. Early feminism was first heard around 1937, engaging in women having the ability to vote (Wpadmin, 2018). This picture was taken around 1937 which is right when feminism became something in the Phillies. This shows the importance of equality and the power women had in the 1900s before many other cities. As we can see women were at work in this marketplace not at home caregiving which was the norm in the 1900s. It is essential we take this into consideration to identify the importance of women in Manila’s evolution. Clearly, this picture shows us the enormous impact women have in Manila’s economy as they were essential for the formation or development, and advancement of the marketplaces. Without the hard work of these women, Manila’s marketplaces might not have developed as they did and could have very much affected this city’s commerce. Manila might have not become the country we know today if it were not for the strong work of these women.
It is important that we recognize the development of the marketplace for Manila but also the small inequality between men and women as they both were able to put in work for Manila’s economy. When this author took this picture they might have done it to capture the moment but little do they know the significance it has brought almost 100 years after. Recognizing that this city does not have the limitations on women that others do and then seeing how much this country has developed can allow us to see the vast impact and the importance of women in our booming societies.
