The women of Ovialand and their inspiring stories
The Philippines is among the nations that have the narrowest gender gap, especially in terms of employment and leadership.
While it is easy to focus on the challenges that our country faces, this general acceptance of women’s roles in our society is something we cannot belittle. The kind of freedom, ambition, and aspiration that Filipinas have is still unfathomable and centuries ahead compared to other nations. While this is the norm we know, it is not something that I take for granted every day.
Value of women
Our history books were laden with brave women, from the fierce Gabriela Silang to Marcela Agoncillo who contributed to our freedom in a profound yet gentle manner. The Philippines was also one of the first Asian nations that permitted women to vote—setting the tone for our neighbors that eventually followed suit. Perhaps early on, the value of women’s contributions in our society was already strongly evident and respected.
However, this is not to say that this has been a smooth journey for Filipinas. Despite the strides we have made in gender opportunity, there however remains many difficult and painful obstacles that women have to face. In our organization today, 60 percent of our team is comprised of women, while our sales network holds a higher number at 70 percent.
Each woman has her own story to tell—from a breadwinner with six younger siblings relying on her to the strong single mothers who have to fulfill both parental roles while caring for an ailing spouse or living with judgement from their own family members because of the stigma of having a child outside marriage.
Stories of strength
The women of Ovialand tell their stories not to ask for pity, but to show their strength and determination. Some situations have been overcome, but most of the time, it is a reality that they have accepted, but they have chosen to say, “this will not define me”.
As I learn of their stories, there is not much more for me to say except that we value you in our team. There is no pity, but an understanding–that there is a reality that we must be aware of and consider, so that we can do our best to help them excel. We are committed to provide an opportunity for women to grow and excel in their careers through plenty of training and mentoring–a work culture that allows for continuous growth and self improvement.
A future leader
In our organization, we believe that every employee is a future leader, and that leadership begins with leading one’s self.
As an organization, we encourage each team member to align their personal goals with their career goals, all while helping each other achieve that balance. While I am always happy to witness our organization reach our goals and targets, there is nothing quite like hearing about our employees hitting their personal goals and dreams for themselves and for their families–dreams such as witnessing their siblings’ graduate from college after supporting them or giving their families their very first beach vacation.
No matter how big or small, we share in the joys and challenges that women in our organization go through everyday because we believe that women can lead a family, an organization, and a nation.
The author is the president of Ovialand Inc., a true woman leader who continues to empower her team and provide Filipinos access to premier family living
