2. BACKGROUND
“To the Young Women of Malolos” is an essay
written by Jose Rizal while he was in London
upon the request of Marcelo H. Del Pilar
December 12, 1888, a group of 20 young women
of Malolos petitioned Governor-General Weyler
for permission to open a night school so that
they might study Spanish under Teodoro
Sandiko

3. Fr. Felipe Garcia objected their plan so, the governor-
general turned down the petition.
However, the women still continued their petition of
the school and they succeeded in obtaining
government approval in a condition that Señorita
Guadalupe Reyes should be their teacher.
Del Pilar (who was in Barcelona) wrote to Rizal (who
was in London) on February 17, 1889, requesting to
send a letter in Tagalog to the brave women of
Malolos.
Rizal sent the letter to Del Pilar on February 22, 1889
for transmittal to Malolos

4. Summary
Rizal pays homage to 20 women of Malolos who
desire to educate themselves
In this way, Rizal sees in these women a ray of hope
in restoring the Filipino women’s dignity and worth
Rizal emphasizes the importance of Filipino mothers
Rizal refers to different women in society:
mothers, daughters, wives and even the unmarried
ones.

5. Responsibilities of Filipino
mothers to their children
There are many points mentioned in this portion
of Rizal’s letter, but the central idea is:
Whatever the mother shows to her
children is what the children will also
become

6. Rizal’s advice to unmarried
men and women
Appearance and looks can be very deceiving
Three things that young women should look for a man
she intends to be her husband:
A noble and honored name
A manly heart
A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering
slaves

7. Analysis
“Tothe Women of Malolos” centers
around five salient points (Zaide &
Zaide, 1999):
1. Filipino mothers should teach their children
about the love of God, country and
fellowmen
2. Filipino mothers should be glad and
honored, like Spartan mothers, to offer
their sons in defense of their country

8. 3. Filipino women should know how to protect
their dignity and honor
4. Filipino women should educate themselves
aside from retaining their good racial
values
5. Faith is not merely reciting prayers and
wearing religious pictures. It is living the
real Christian way with good morals and
manners.

9. Relevance in today’s
society
There are often times that mothers forget their
roles to their children because of the overriding
idea of having to earn enough money to help the
father sustain the family’s needs
Activism of the Feminist groups in our country
(e.g. Gabriella)