My sister and I caught up with an uncle over dinner last Saturday. We had dinner in a hotel near the airport as he only had a few hours to spare before he flew out to his wife’s hometown in Borongan, Samar. After dinner, since they were going different ways, my sis decided to book a Grab car for them going to their hotel. It amused me that the Grab car that fetched them at the hotel entrance was driven by this hip lady in shorts, sneakers and hair pulled back. It was quite unusual for me to see a lady Grab driver. It is usually the men who take on jobs such as these. But as it turns out, in the Philippines, there are really more women now in the workforce taking on traditional men’s jobs. Jobs such cab drivers, engineers and managers.
According to a CNN Philippines report in 2018, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report ranked the Philippines 8th among 149 countries (and the highest in Asia), in achieving gender equality especially in economic and political leadership with more women in critical roles as legislators, senior officials and managers. The wage gap between men and women has also narrowed down due to an increase in wage equality for similar work.
What could this mean for Filipino families now? Many things, actually… more income for the family and higher purchasing power. With technology paving the way, more women are income generators for their families – some outside the home as employees but some also as WAHMs (Work-At-Home Moms) who are able to still stay at home and work through online jobs and businesses.
However it is, it seems this will be the trend from now on. Women are becoming more empowered through the different options they have that can provide added income to the family purse.
I think as long as women, and I’m talking mostly about the mothers here, are able to try and balance work and family life and have their family’s well-being at the top of their hearts and minds, taking on either a job or business that allows them to earn is a good thing. There will be adjustments for sure, most especially in the beginning when sometimes one misses out on some family obligations to attend to because of deadlines to meet, etc. But as in anything that is on its initial phases, there will always be some things one will learn before becoming a master of it. No one learned to juggle balls on his or her first try and as they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. It takes time and experience to learn the ropes and manage one’s priorities. There will be good days and bad days. But it’s all part of a process.
I myself went through that transition when I accepted the job to be a full time employee running a preschool. I was a stay-at-home mom for many years (we have 8 kids, hence a lot of home managing to do). I was happy being with my children but there was a part of me that yearned to grow and use whatever skills I had in order to be more productive and be a contributor to our family income. It’s not easy especially that we don’t have help and I still have to cook dinner after coming home from work. I also still have homeschooled children that need guidance and attention. It’s still quite a challenge but I am taking it with a lot of positivity, hope and prayers. After all, this is the only thing I am holding on to now. Everything else is a promise of good things to come.
I ask myself once in awhile if this transition is worth it. And I end up with this quote that I came across one time, “Nothing changes if nothing changes”. I find it to have so much meaning. I wanted a change in my life for something good or better, and the only way that happens is if I make that necessary effort to make that change happen. It is on me to make it happen and to make it work. The transition is part of the journey.
I know I share this journey with many other working mothers out there. Let’s keep this up and keep the hope and positive attitude. Things will pan out. Why not share with me your own challenges and drop me a line on our FB page? I’m sure we will have a lot to talk about!
Happy thoughts everyone!
SIGnature 