From the shackles of societal constraints to the spark of activism, women have long asserted their rights in a world that mainly serves the interests of men. A long-standing fight for gender equality persists to this day despite strides toward a more inclusive society. But what does this mean for the future of women?
Gender inequality, or the gender gap, poses problems in the labor market. The technology industry, for instance, is a field where prejudices against women are most pronounced, exacerbating the existing gender imbalances. As a result, women face limited access to professional growth and career opportunities.
Although some studies claim improvements in gender equality in the Philippines, Filipinas still face systemic challenges. These include the underrepresentation in leadership positions, stereotypes projected onto women, and the gender pay gap.
Weighing the wage
One of the most prominent discussions surrounding the gender gap is wage discrimination between women and men. It is a crucial factor in determining the state of gender equality in the country as it indicates the average income difference of both genders. By identifying such, it also quantifies how much women are paid for each Philippine peso compared to how much men are paid.
The Philippine Statistics Authority conducted a study that analyzes the gender pay gap in the country based on the July 2018 Labor Force Survey. Results showed that the mean daily pay for women was P344.91, while men earned P361.60. This translates to the unadjusted pay gap against women at 4.84 percent. Meanwhile, the adjusted pay gap against women soared to 24.5 percent and 26.8 percent after factoring in the respondents’ primary occupation and educational attainment, respectively.
In the technology industry, the numbers are just as discouraging. According to a 2022 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, women in tech earn 18.4 percent less than their male peers. Despite the growing demand for tech professionals, women are still pigeonholed into traditionally feminine-coded occupations like communication and customer relations. While these positions are vital to organizational success, they typically have lower pay than the masculine-coded careers in the technology industry—a disparity that reflects the systemic undervaluation of women’s skills. This also depicts the current landscape of the industry, highlighting the importance of recognizing the contributions of women.
Heaps of hurdles
While many factors contribute to the gender pay gap, this phenomenon undoubtedly stems from systemic discrimination and traditional notions of society toward women working in a technical field.
Even now, women are chained to societal norms perpetuating gender disparity. Monica Pérez, a professor from the University of Rey Juan Carlos, studied women’s experiences in tech and the reasons behind the dearth of female representation in the field. “Gender socialization has an enormous influence on the choices of young people’s academic and professional trajectories,” the professor states.
Pérez explains that it all boils down to preconceived gender roles and gender stereotypes—two factors promoting workplace bias and occupational segregation in the technology industry. Research on organizational behavior supports this claim, distinguishing two kinds of gender stereotypes: descriptive and prescriptive.
Descriptive stereotypes tend to limit women to the role of caregivers, which is characterized by affiliative tendencies, deference, and emotional sensitivity. While these attributes are not inherently negative, they are perceived as “unfit” to participate in a male-dominated field, become a leader, and handle larger responsibilities. Conversely, men are automatically perceived to possess traits valuable in a technical field, such as assertiveness, independence, and logical reasoning.
Prescriptive stereotypes impose standards on how women and men should behave. When women assert dominance and make career advancements, society perceives us as bossy, cold, and hostile. Violating the assigned gender roles for women results in lower pay and impedes career progression.
Society’s inclination to categorize people makes it difficult for women to participate in technical fields because we are often subjected to scrutiny. However, when men do the same, it is a cause for celebration—all because it is aligned with the social norm.
As a woman aspiring to work in tech, the thought of experiencing these hurdles once I enter the industry makes me apprehensive about the future. Will our situation ever change?
Enforcing changes
In the Philippines, laws are legislated to enforce equal opportunities, ensure women’s role and participation in the labor force, and protect them against gender-based discrimination. However, enacting laws without stringent policy enforcement is a futile attempt to grant women the right to equal opportunity—something we are entitled to.
Women empowerment significantly improves young women’s self-confidence, and representation may allow women to see the technology field in a different light. Pérez suggests that mentoring programs are one way to encourage young women to create a space for themselves in male-dominated fields. Educating women about technical concepts is another way to change their perceptions of technology and address their apprehensions about entering a traditionally male-dominated field.
Despite the gender pay gap being a worldwide phenomenon, it remains an understudied topic, especially in the Philippines. Closing the gap between women and men may take more than a lifetime; at the very least, we can make the future more inclusive by challenging society’s notions of gender and combating the pay gap between men and women.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s March 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSMarch2025.
