BERTULFO, JOMABEL A., CABILLETE, MA. CHRISTINE I., CALE, HAZEL ANN
A., PANGANIBAN, VICTORIA L., RAMIREZ, REYJEN T., and TAGANILE,
BRAYAN D., Settle Down, Get Married, Have Kids: Understanding the Lived
Experiences of Single Filipino Women towards Societal Pressure of Marriage.
Undergraduate Thesis. Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Cavite State University-
Bacoor City Campus, City of Bacoor, Cavite. June 2024. Adviser: Rimat Maris I.
Taclibon-Mitra.

In Philippine culture, marriage is seen as a milestone, and everyone is
assumed to marry the right partner because it is seen as the foundation of the family.
It is the venue for sexual activity, childbearing, and child-rearing and where confidence
is expected (Kabamalan, n.d.) In addition, age also affects this social expectation of
marriage wherein Filipino women will pressure someone as it is important for them to
get married before they reach 30 years old, and if not, they will be branded as
“matandang dalaga” (Torres, 2022). Women in their middle age must deal with different
questions such as “When are you getting married?” (Ceguela, 2019).
There are several foreign literature stating that single women in their 30s are
experiencing stigma and pressure regarding the societal expectation of marriage.
Therefore, we, as the researchers, would like to know if this societal expectation also
affects single Filipino women, especially since we are living in a country that places
high value on culture and tradition, including marriage, family, and procreation, where
expectations and practices are heavily shaped by catholic church (Filipino Culture -
Family, 2017). The primary goal of this study is to understand the lived experiences of
single Filipino women toward the societal expectation of marriage and how it influences
the psychological well-being of the chosen respondents. In addition, this study also
delves into how single women living in the 21st century perceive themselves and what
their stand is about this societal expectation, notwithstanding their relationship status.
This research used a qualitative phenomenological approach that focuses on
the lived experiences of single Filipino women. The study used purposive sampling
that followed the criteria that respondents must be (1) female, (2) single, (3) Filipino
citizen, (4) not married, (5) no children, and (7) living in Bacoor City, Cavite. The
researchers chose Bacoor City, Cavite as the research locale because Cavite is part
of CALABARZON with the highest number of married couples in the country in the year
2021-2023 (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2023), while Bacoor is one of the most
populous municipalities with 10,828 registered couples from 2014-2023 (City of Bacoor
Government, 2024).
The findings of the study covered the lived experiences of single Filipino women
which five objectives have been answered: (1) The meaning of societal pressure for
single Filipino women towards marriage, (2) The impact of societal expectations on
their psychological well-being, (3) Emotional response, (4) Cognitive response, and (5)
Self-realization towards their relationship status, and the message they want to impart
to their fellow single women experiencing societal pressure. 

xvi, 127p.; 29cm. 

Includes references and appendices.