EMOTIONS OFTEN come with gendered stereotypes. For the longest time, women have been viewed as more emotional than men, and have even been mistaken for exclusively experiencing hysteria.

These stereotypes have imposed expectations about how women should feel and how they should express themselves. While men also face judgment on their emotions, the effects of such preconceived notions for men and women differ starkly.

For instance, passion in men is seen as them being ambitious, but in women, this is often related to absurdity or being out of control. Anger in men is lauded as being assertive or powerful, but the same emotion in women is often linked to being unreasonable or dramatic.

While some emotions result in the same connotations for men and women—such as sadness, which is stigmatized as weak or sensitive—the point stands: Men and women’s emotions are often misjudged because society attaches labels to their feelings. With preconceptions on emotions, society tends to limit women’s capabilities based on their emotions.

This reality is reflected in a survey on Filipinos’ views of women in power, which revealed that women are still tagged as “weak” and “emotional” as compared to men.

In the Philippines, former president Rodrigo Duterte argued that the presidency is not a job for women due to how they handle emotions compared to men. Ironically, the Philippines is also the first Asian country to elect a female president, highlighting that women are also capable of the job.

Meanwhile, for an environmental advocate like Masungi Georeserve Director Billie Dumaliang, she shared that being passionate about her cause has led her to receive derogatory labels such as “attention-seeking.”

Instead of being viewed simply for what they feel, women are judged and reduced to labels such as emotional, dramatic, incapable, sensitive, and irrational. Due to this gender-biased perception, some resort to suppressing their emotions and minimizing their feelings.

However, this should not be the case. Women—or anyone for that matter—should be allowed to feel without being associated with any label or connotation. Even more, emotions should be genderless and should not be attached to gendered traits. To feel is simply a humane response to one’s realities—not an isolated female response.

Reducing women to labels associated with emotions erases the complexity of their experiences. There is always a story behind what a woman feels—one that is unique to her and is not based on what society thinks.

Hence, what must change is not how women feel, but how society interprets feelings. Women should be allowed to embrace the full range of emotional expression without the fear that their credibility, competence, or authority will be diminished. To feel anger, joy, grief, or affection does not make a woman less capable—it simply serves as a reminder of the human in her.

Azra is a graduating Management Engineering student at the Ateneo de Manila University. With her strong affinity for storytelling, she wishes to forward effective communication while pursuing advocacies concerning access to quality education and gender equality.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed by the opinion writer do not necessarily state or reflect those of the publication.