Last March 22, 2022, Unilab Foundation in partnership with the Philippine Commission on Women gathered advocates, students, educators, and leaders to join in the launching of the Pinays Can STEM toolkit through the webinar entitled, “WE STEM Up! Juana Para Sa Agham at Teknolohiya”. The event has brought to light the realities and challenges of women in STEM, emphasizing the need for society to build a safe, empowering, and inclusive environment for women to fully participate in the field.

The Philippines ranks 17^th in the Global Gender Gap Report 2021  and the top country in Asia with the smallest gender gap.  In fact, women comprise 49% of the Science and Technology workforce. However, even with this growth,  there are many factors that contribute to the gender gap in STEM, particularly for young female learners. On average, only 36% of STEM graduates are women, and from that, only 46.2% are employed in STEM-related fields.

Unilab Foundation has partnered with the Philippine Commission on Women to launch the Pinays Can STEM Toolkit, a digital resource for young Filipina students who are seeking guidance and information in their pursuit of STEM. Based on the insights from the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Plan, there are numerous challenges women face that prohibit them from fully participating in the field, namely: existing stereotypes that associate STEM with men, lack of female role models, and unavailability of opportunities for women in STEM. 

This toolkit contains information that will contribute to the journey of young girls in STEM—careers, role models, videos, stories, and more. This gives us the opportunity to highlight the importance and role of education in terms of women’s economic empowerment, participation in the workforce, and contribution to society. 

To set the tone of the event, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women Ms. Sandra Sanchez Montano provided an empowering message aligned with this year’s National Women’s Month theme: Agenda ng Kababaihan Tungo sa Kaunlaran. She states “The National Women’s Month is also a platform and a call to action; a call to strengthen efforts towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. While we work with these twin goals, go beyond the month of March. This celebration is an opportunity to make our advocacy ring louder.”

This was followed by an inspirational message from Dr. Chona Vince Cruz-Abeledo, a Molecular Biologist and Professor at De La Salle University where she shares her STEM journey, the importance of role models, as well as the challenges of women in STEM. She encourages women and girls to be more involved in STEM and inspire the next generation of female scientists. Ms. Lilibeth Aristorenas, Unilab Foundation’s Executive Director, shared an empowering message to urge Filipinos to act and come together to promote gender equality in STEM. Here she shared insights from the Youth in STEM report conducted last 2020 which points out the presence of Filipina role models, either as STEM professionals or as industry leaders in STEM, directly influences young girls’ interest in pursuing that path. 

Ms. Dianne Aguas, the Communications and Advocacy Officer of STEM + PH, the flagship program of Unilab Foundation, presented the Pinays Can STEM toolkit. She mentions the features of the toolkit and how it was curated in a way that will follow young girls’ journey in STEM. The toolkit starts with Kickstarting Your STEM Journey, a short guide on how young girls can kickstart their STEM journey with content ranging from career resources, student testimonials, and achievements of Pinays in STEM; Pinays Can Do Anything, containing the unique and diverse experiences of women in STEM; The STEM Library, a resource center for anything STEM-related such as videos, podcasts, reading materials, STEM experiments, and more; The STEM Directory, which contains STEM and gender advocacy organizations they can join and/or reach out to; and lastly the PCS TV, the official YouTube channel of Pinays Can STEM which features the journey and work of Pinays in the field.

Through this resource, more women and girls will realize their place in STEM and to encourage them to take space, seek role models they can look up to and aspire to be, and find a community that will support their dreams and aspirations to reach their potential. The toolkit is also based on the insights of the Youth in STEM report, which reveals the decrease in the confidence, and interest of students in STEM once they reach high school.

To further discuss the gender gap in STEM education, Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Dean of the College of Medicine University of the Philippines – Manila, shares her insights and experiences working in the academe over the years. She emphasizes how institutions such as schools and universities can promote gender equality by bringing more women leaders and creating and preserving safe spaces for women. In line with this, Atty. Kristine E. Yuzon-Chaves, the Executive Director (ED) Philippine Commission on Women, presented insights from the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Plan and its importance in advancing the Participation of Women and Girls in STEM. She encourages leaders to promote women empowerment, strengthen and implement existing policies in STEM education, and strengthen partnerships in the women’s sector.

Gathering a panel of leaders and advocates from different sectors, the event also served as a platform to discuss the topics on STEM and women’s economic empowerment and participation. Here the speakers shared their own personal stories, how we can support Filipinas’ aspirations in STEM, and initiatives that aim to bridge the gender gap. On STEM students who pursue non-traditional STEM paths, Dr. Chiong shares “At the end of the day, what’s important is they pursue what they want. Nothing prevents them from working with people in STEM.” To give the closing remarks, Usec. Marjorie Jalosjos from the Department of the Interior and Local Government calls on educators and leaders to support initiatives, such as the Pinays Can STEM toolkit, that promote the participation of women in STEM.

Over the years, there has been an apparent gender gap in the field of STEM, even more so in the Philippines where women continue to be under-represented in both STEM education and careers. Attributing this to existing stereotypes, lack of female role models, and unavailability of opportunities, many young Filipinas lose interest or get discouraged in pursuing STEM. The event not only showed us the need to bridge the gender gap in STEM, but to act upon these issues and consider it a priority in our times of today.  It takes conscious effort to plant the seeds on the importance of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality in STEM and provide them with the opportunity to succeed and achieve greater heights. 

Together, Unilab Foundation and the Philippine Commission on Women are working towards a more gender-equal future for girls in STEM. The Pinays Can STEM Toolkit is a continuous effort to increase the confidence and interest of young girls, to encourage them to take space, and use STEM for the good of humanity.