The Global Gender Gap Report 2020 of the World Economic Forum revealed that the Philippines remains the top country in Asia in terms of closing the gender gap.
Across the globe, the Philippines ranked 16th out of 153 countries with the narrowest gap between men and women.
One reason for this is because women have been dominating several industries and shaping society with their inventiveness and determination.
Every March, we pay tribute to women and their achievements. To remind us of what women are capable of, here are three Filipinas, who are shaping the landscape of their respective industries.
Angeline Tham, founder and CEO of Angkas
We’re all familiar with how notorious Philippine traffic can be. Many of us have spent hours of our lives sitting in our rides during traffic or trying to escape its grasp. Seeing how many Filipinos have to deal with traffic in their day-to-day lives, Angeline Tham came up with a solution that helped many.
Tham is the founder of our favorite motorbike ride-hailing app Angkas. Through this innovation, Tham has provided a solution to a problem that has been plaguing the country for years. The reason behind her initiative was because she, too, experienced severe traffic in the Philippines.
While working as a banker for JP Morgan for five years, she was no exception to the horrors of everyday heavy traffic. As a result of her first-hand experiences, Tham started the first motorbike hailing service in the country.
But providing a solution to avoiding traffic isn’t the only goal that Tham hopes to achieve with Angkas. She is also planning to provide drivers with free training and start the country’s first motorcycle ambulance.
Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, co-founder of Happy Skin
One common concern among makeup users is their skin’s sensitivity, the negative effects of makeup and how using it can cause skin to have breakouts. To address this concern and provide Filipinas with the treatment they deserve, Rissa Mananquil-Trillo co-founded Happy Skin, a cosmetic brand that’s known for innovative makeup geared towards caring for users’ skin.
To adhere to its goal of providing users with the skincare they deserve, Happy Skin makes its products from scratch and customizes them so they can be suitable for Filipina skin.
Being a model and beauty columnist, Mananquil-Trillo has tested countless brands. But it was always her dream to create her brand that celebrates Filipina beauty.
With Happy Skin, this dream was realized as the cosmetics brand has grown to have 13 stores and almost 100 beauty counters in the Philippines. It has also won 30 beauty awards for its promising products and how it promotes Filipina beauty.
Jeannie Javelosa, co-founder of ECHOstore Sustainable and GREAT Women
Nowadays, people gravitate toward a healthier and greener lifestyle to promote sustainability. Jeannie Javelosa has created a way for people to access products to support their sustainable lifestyle while helping others in the process.
Along with Chit Juan and Reena Francisco, Javelosa started ECHOstore which stands for Environment Community Hope Organization. The social enterprise with a retail store sells products of marginalized communities in a tri-concept of a store, market and café.
Inside the ECHOstore, one can see the variety of products ranging from fresh produce to value-added goods to toiletries, all of which allow customers to experience a green lifestyle in one stop.
But sustainability isn’t the only thing that Javelosa aims to promote. She also started the advocacy-driven brand GREAT Women (Gender Responsive Economic Empowerment), which supports gender equality. It has recently moved into the retail space and carries products that support women enterprises, cooperatives, and cultural indigenous communities.
These three Filipinas are among the many who are working towards shaping industries for the better. They represent the countless accomplishments that women are capable of achieving should they put their minds to it.
A brief history of International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is not only an event where women and their achievements are given the recognition they deserve, it has also served as a platform where women have exercised their rights and dare to challenge society and its gender constructs.
Since its first gathering in 1911, International Women’s Day has been supported by millions across the globe.
International Women’s Day was first held every last Sunday of February based on a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. But beginning in 1913, the date March 8 was set to celebrate Women’s Day.
Over the years, women have fought for equality in society, the workplace, and other aspects of their lives.
But the fight against equality is far from over. While numbers show that industries are bridging gender gaps, other platforms such as social media and domestic spaces have yet to fully acknowledge the capabilities of women as well as their rights.
For this year’s International Women’s Day theme, a movement called #ChooseToChallenge was started, a campaign where women and allies raise their hands high to show that they’re part of this movement as they commit themselves to the challenge of calling out inequality.
The goal of this campaign is to empower and bring together women from across the globe so that they can put a stop to gender bias and inequality to create a more inclusive world. This is in order for women, who have already found their strength and passion, can encourage others to follow suit so that they can battle inequality from society even without having to create a name for themselves in a particular industry.
The #ChooseToChallenge movement in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021 is just another step towards creating a society that not only celebrates women’s achievements but also eradicates gender bias and inequality to create equal opportunities and promote inclusivity.
By choosing to challenge gender bias and inequality, men and women from all over the world can create a safe space for everyone to grow and be a part of.
Women have played a big part in all our lives and it’s about time that we showed them the proper treatment they deserve.
