The Rise of the Manileña Entrepreneur: Her Story in Periodicals from 1898–1938

The separate spheres ideology implicitly denied the economic value of many female activities and therefore attributing the economic world to male-centered activities. Utilizing the power of the periodical as a source to uncover the story and images of women, this article describes the Manileña entrepreneur as she competed in the world of business from 1898 to 1938. As compared to representations of businessmen, which were ubiquitous, this study also shows that there was not one specific iconographic image or idea of a woman entrepreneur. What was available were new and varied images due to the diverse backgrounds and enterprises that they were involved in. The Manileña owned and operated enterprises in multi-industries showing that even though their numbers were small, women were active participants in the growing urban marketplace.

Keywords: Manileña, entrepreneur, women history, periodicals, Philippine History, Manila
JEL Classifications: L26, N85, N95