NMC

Philippine culture women When we look at the religious associations of the Asian nations, the Philippines is the only nation with a large Roman Catholic population. The balance of religious affiliations in the Philippines is Aligpayan, Protestant and Muslim. The dominating religion of Catholicism in the Philippines

Facial Expressions

While some say that facial expressions are identical, meaning attached to them differs. Majority opinion is that these do have similar meanings world-wide with respect to smiling, crying, or showing anger, sorrow, or disgust. However, the intensity varies from culture to culture. Note the following:
- Many Asian cultures including the Philippines suppress facial expression as much as possible.
- Many asian cultures look down on americans if they can see your emotions.
- Some see “animated” expressions as a sign of a lack of control.
- Too much smiling is viewed in as a sign of shallowness.
- Women smile more than men.
Eye Contact and Gaze

In USA, eye contact indicates: degree of attention or interest, influences attitude change or persuasion, regulates interaction, communicates emotion, defines power and status, and has a central role in managing impressions of others.
- Western cultures — see direct eye to eye contact as positive (advise children to look a person in the eyes).
- Japan, Philippines Africa, Latin American, Caribbean — avoid eye contact to show respect.
- Asian cultures (Filipino, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Indian) stress frequent bathing — and often criticize USA of not bathing often enough

In the Filipino culture a pervasive smile can easily be interpreted as agreement or affirmation in what has just been discussed. That same smile can easily be used to hide embarrassment, aggravation on disagreement.

Nonverbal signs of affirmation include the raising of an eyebrow and the jerking of the head upward. A common sign for “no” include the jerk of the head down. For example, if an individual says “yes” while pointing their head downward you can be fairly certain that they feel negatively about what you have been discussing

& Marriage Today, couples usually make the decision as to whom they wish to marry. Since family is important in the Philippines, the family itself is involved in the dating and marriage procedure. Specific dating and marriage customs vary depending on where the couple lives. In the city, a couple may go out for dinner and dancing.

When a man decides that he wishes to wed a woman, his parents visit her house and present a gift. Gifts can be as extravagant as offering to build a home or paying for a college education. In some rural areas, the bride’s family may offer a large dowry to the groom. In turn, the groom’s family is responsible for the wedding costs including gifts and wedding apparel. Padrinos & Madrinas Family ties and kinship are an important component to the Philippine family. Godfathers (padrinos) and godmothers (madrinas) are always present at the marriage ceremony. The marriage and ceremony celebrations are typically performed at the local Catholic Church. A family’s participation in the event is important. Therefore, it is rare that a couple makes the decision to elope or join
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