She Talks Asia x Coca Cola — Kababae Mong Tao

She Talks Asia x Coca Cola

Studies show that society evaluates a person’s action differently depending on their gender, and that we tend to react negatively when women don’t act 'like women.' For example, a woman who’s assertive at work is easily labelled as ‘bossy’, while her male counterpart is seen as decisive.

It’s time we change these harmful biases about how women 'should' and 'should not' be. In partnership with Coca Cola Philippines, we are looking for inspiring stories of women who refused to let gender stereotypes stop them from being their best and most authentic self.

Click on each photo below to know more about the #KababaeMongTao featured women.

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Sometimes, people assume that we can’t do a certain task just because we are women. “Kaya ba niyang mag-sales?” “Kaya ba niya rumota at umikot ng matagal?” These are some of the things that Jonah De Lumen Pernia heard when she was starting her career. As she climbed the corporate ladder, the more she became aware of gender biases faced by women in leadership positions. Case in point: the exact same traits described in men as ‘assertive and decisive’; are seen as ‘bossy and abrasive’ in women.

“Gender identifiers are completely unnecessary,” says Jonah. “Professions are gender agnostic, if not, gender inclusive. Every man or woman should feel they have the possibility regardless of what profession they go into. At Coca-Cola, we believe that women have an important role to play in every level of the organization and in every function,” Jonah adds.

Workplaces play a crucial role in helping break gender stereotypes. Jonah shares that in the process of hiring and promoting, they make sure that every panel has female representation. They also developed a program specifically for mothers called the Soft Landing Program. “Women start working post-maternity leave with 4 hours only. And as you gain a month for your child, you get an hour added to your office hours. Technically, you go full-time when your baby is 8 months old. This program helped us manage the guilt of women both ways—the guilt of not working enough and the guilt of not spending as much time with your child.” The program proved to be successful, as Jonah herself got a promotion just four months after her maternity leave.

Jonah strongly believes that support and encouragement are crucial in helping more women advance, “Women are their worst critics. Napaka-kritikal natin sa sarili natin. And it’s not about our ability or competence, but really about confidence. We need to develop an inclusive, enabling environment for women to thrive, grow, and be confident.”

She Talks Asia x Coca Cola — Kababae Mong Tao

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