Despite the Philippines boasting of a significant amount of women in business, a leading foreign chamber in the country is pushing more initiatives to promote female professionals’ role in the workplace and gender equality in the country.

The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Women in Business Committee was launched with the aim of working with gender advocates in decreasing the remaining gender gap in the society.

According to the ECCP, the committee will serve as an effective platform for promoting the women’s rights in the workplace and will become a venue for mentoring and inspiring women. ECCP president Guenter Taus said the committee will help address and discuss disadvantages and discrimination face by
women leaders in the business community.

“The committee is an opportunity for women leaders to share experiences, network, and most importantly, jointly drive initiatives that will mentor and empower younger generations of women to become leaders themselves and continue to place the Philippines on the map as a country where women equality is
non-negotiable,” Taus said.

Last January, the Philippines ranked seventh out of 145 countries in terms of gender equality. The country has been consistently in the top 10 in the Global Gender Gap Index 2015 by the World Economic Forum since 2006, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

“That does not mean that there is no room for improvement. Women’s rights in the workplace can be further improved and protected. Not all employees or HR professionals are aware of the rights that Magna Carta for Women prescribes and therefore many women do not avail of their full rights,” Taus said.

Taus said Europe can learn a lot from the Philippines as it is one of the global leaders when it comes to gender equality.

According to Taus, the ECCP will support further initiatives in line with promoting women’s role and removing the gender gap in the country.

“These are areas where the ECCP’s Women in Business Committee wants to support change, in a bid to build upon the already impressive strides that the Philippines has made in becoming one of the most gender equal countries globally,” he said.

The ECCP’s Women in Business will be co-chaired by Jones Lang La Salle regional director and head of project leasing Sheila Lobien and CHAMP Cargosystems managing director Lourdes Angeles.

The ECCP with more than 800 member companies is the first European chamber in the world.

Source: The Daily Tribune News