The Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) was launched in March 2017 through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded Investing in Women (IW) program. In the Philippines, Investing in Women has partnered with the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) to create a business coalition to pursue Gender Equality (GE) in the workplace and Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) nationwide.
PBCWE is made up of influential businesses that are large employers who will take the appropriate steps to improve gender equity in their own workplaces and to influence businesses, both in their supply chains and other large businesses, and to also become better employers of women.
EDGE Certification
The coalition members have committed to the process of identifying and setting benchmarks linked to the policies and practices that are known to promote gender equity in the workplace. This process will be facilitated in partnership with the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE), a world leading diagnostic and certification system for workplace gender equality, designed to help companies create an optimal workplace for women and men and to benefit from it as well. EDGE will work with the companies through an evidence-based process where member companies can correctly identify problems and set benchmarks and develop efficient solutions.
Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN)
The Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) is a consortium of six women’s groups, representing a broad section of industries where women participate: business, professionals (middle management, CEOs, Board Directors), and entrepreneurs (start-ups, SMEs, established businesses). PhilWEN advocates the economic empowerment of women through initiatives that encompass a wide age and socioeconomic reach.
Coalition Members
The business coalition is made up of influential businesses that are large employers who will take the appropriate steps to improve gender equity in their own workplaces and to influence businesses, both in their supply chains and other large businesses, and to also become better employers of women.
The business coalition members are committed to drive change within their companies by closing the gender pay gap; progressing women into management and leadership positions; improving female workplace participation; investing in female-friendly working conditions; and having company leadership and managers drive gender equality.
Recent Activities
PBCWE Campus Caravan
As part of PBCWE’s Campus Caravan: Young Women’s Leadership Roadshow, PBCWE co-organised the panel session entitled, “Women’s Economic Empowerment: Investing in Women” last 8 November 2017 during Miriam College’s 1st Southeast Asian Women’s Summit.
ANZCHAM Gender Diversity: Breaking Barriers Networking Night
PBCWE was one of the sponsors of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCHAM) Event held last 9 November 2017 at Tower Club, Makati City. It was a unique opportunity to introduce the coalition and to meet other advocates of gender equality in the workplace.
PBCWE-AWEN Breakfast with WEE Leaders and Advocates in the ASEAN Region
PBCWE co-organised a breakfast event with the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs’ Network (AWEN) and the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) at the sidelines of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS 2017) to gather leaders and advocates of women’s economic empowerment. Delegates from the ASEAN region as well as from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) joined the discussion on securing an economic environment where women could fully participate and thrive. This breakfast event was also an opportunity to establish PBCWE as a contributor to women’s economic empowerment in Southeast Asia.
MAP-FCC Women Next Forum
The Management Association of the Philippines and the Filipina CEO Circle jointly hosted the Women Next: Accelerating Tomorrow to Now last 28 November 2017. This was attended by over 2000 participants and PBCWE was involved in two of the panel sessions in the said forum.
The Striking a Balance: The Filipina in the Workplace where Convergys’ VP for Human Resources Rain Tan spoke about company best practices, their EDGE gender assessment experience, and Convergys’ motivation for joining the Coalition.
The Future of Work (Reinventing Yourself and Staying Relevant) PhilWEN Chair Boots Garcia moderated the panel where Chit Juan and Emma Imperial talked about their respective career paths and how they reinvented themselves along the way. They also talked about how one can be successful in having a “purpose-driven career.”
For more details about PBCWE, please visit their website.