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WHEN I
was studying at De La Salle (go Green Archers! yay!),
there was one forum I attended where the administration
discussed how it was trying to decide whether or not it
should raise the quota on female students. In those
days—this was around 1984 or 1985—the quota on female
students, if I recall correctly, was about 30 percent to
the 70-percent male population. There were also
suggestions that maybe the quota should be done away
with altogether.
But
there were many alumni and administration officials who
were against raising the female quota or even removing
it, because they feared that females would just overrun
the student population. Well, what’s so wrong with that,
you may ask? Well, De La Salle had always been,
traditionally, a “boys’ school.” If it wanted more women
around, the male students only had to look to its
neighbor over at St. Scholastica’s. The time I was at De
La Salle, other less savory colleges were already
razzing us that our university was turning into a girls’
school. Not only was it being inundated by female
applicants, but the girls were also excelling and
getting better grades than the men! (Sorry, guys,
aminin na natin.)
I don’t
know if the male-female quota of De La Salle still
exists, but the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index on
Women’s Advancement seems to prove the point that if
given the choice and opportunity, Filipino women will
want to pursue tertiary education. And as they get
better-educated, they are more likely to enter the work
force and compete with each other and with men.
According to the findings, as announced by Georgette
Tan, MasterCard Worldwide vice president for
communications in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and
Africa, in the recent Global Summit of Women, while
Malaysians seem to have more women in college than men
(at 135 women to 100 men), Filipinos are not so far
behind with 116 women in the universities, as against
100 men!
The
latest survey also demonstrated that positive sentiment
remained strong among Filipino women, who perceived
themselves as “almost equal” to their male counterparts
in terms of position and influence in the workplace, as
well as salary.
The
MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women’s Advancement
measures the socioeconomic level of women in relation to
men using four key indicators: the ratio of female to
male participation in the labor force, ratio of female
to male in tertiary education, and survey data that
measures female and male respondent perceptions of
whether they hold managerial positions and whether they
earn above-median income.
Considering all these, the Philippines actually edged
out Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and eight
other markets in the Asia-Pacific region in having the
highest overall index score. This means that we Filipino
women are receiving better education, working more
outside of the home and moving into more managerial
positions, and, yes, even earning more than some of our
male counterparts in similar jobs or occupations.
But—and
that’s a big but (and, no, I’m not talking about our
rear ends)—all these index scores have been dropping for
two straight years. Explained Georgette: “While women
continue to close the gap in achieving parity with men
in the areas of labor-force participation and tertiary
education, women’s self-perception regarding the
subjective factors of the index—managerial positions and
above-median income—have continued to dip for the second
year in a row. This appears to indicate that women are
feeling less confident about their current status, and
whether on account of the economic, political or social
landscape, the direct result is that men’s confidence
and resulting advancement is increasing to fill the
gaps.”
She
added: “As women continue to enter the labor force and
seek tertiary education, new avenues are opened up for
their employment and their careers. However, in 2008 it
appears that women continue to perceive themselves as
not receiving the same opportunities as men. This,
combined with the shifting economic climate, has
negatively affected the scores pertaining to the
self-perception of women, resulting in a lower
MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women’s Advancement
score.”
I
personally think this perception goes to the fact that
women are just becoming too aggressive these days in
wanting everything. They want to be CEOs and yet want to
be good mothers and perfect wives. This adds to the
strain on their relationships with their families. And
when their jobs don’t allow them the leeway to achieve
these personal goals as well, they feel less confident
of themselves and their abilities.
In the
past years or so, I’ve known a few women who have
already dropped out of the rat race giving up senior
management positions in favor of their families. Like it
or not, the burden of rearing children traditionally
still falls on the mother, and no matter how many
househusbands are produced, it is still the mother who
will have a much larger influence on the children. That
is one traditional role, I think, women are not so
willing to abdicate, and, in fact, resent it when their
husbands or other males (even other females) in the
family start becoming the one the children run to.
Women
have come a long way from the time of our mothers and
grandmothers. We can choose to be anything we want to
be. Go anywhere we want to go. But perhaps it is time to
sit back a bit and realize that we cannot do everything.
In
allowing ourselves to be smarter than men, and competing
to get the best jobs and the better careers, something
will suffer. We will have to sacrifice certain areas
where we have long dominated in the past. It is the only
way for us to break through that so-called “glass
ceiling” to the higher-paying jobs and the fancier
titles. Question is: Are we willing to do that?
****
I LOST a
dear friend last week. Iñaki was not someone who sought
publicity despite the many times he and his wife Ana
have landed in society magazines, so I will try to keep
this brief. But I cannot help but mention how much he
and Ana have meant to me.
Our
friendship began at the oddest and weirdest of times,
fighting a garbage contract that was flawed in many
ways. It was for the pet project of Ana, who became my
friend as she greeted me with a tight hug at our very
first meeting. Iñaki was always supportive of her causes
even when it meant risking his own business and personal
relationships with the powers that be.
As a
friend, he was just one of the best. Iñaki had the
ability to reach beyond his own class and his years, to
find the things you and he had in common, and infect you
with his zest for life, amuse you with his wit and amaze
you with the many things he knew (although it took him a
while to realize what “he3” meant in SMS). But for a man
in his 60s, he was über-cool that I thought of him like
another dad, or a favorite uncle, someone you just like
hanging around with because of the great stories he’d
tell.
My
favorite anecdote of Iñaki (and I can still picture him
in my mind telling this) was about the time he went to
this very popular Manila disco in the ’70s and did not
realize the guy seated beside him whom he had been
chatting up was Rod Stewart! Hahaha!
We’ll
all miss you, Dad. I feel so privileged to have known
you. Your sincerity and concern has always touched me
beyond belief. Simply put, you rock, dear old man. Thank
you for embracing me into your life.
My
heartfelt condolences and prayers to Ana and the family.
Love you all. |
