TO further promote equality, diversity and inclusivity at the Batasan Complex, the House of Representatives on Thursday hosted a hybrid seminar entitled “GAD Inclusivity in the Workplace.”
Seminar resource speaker, Atty. Cecilio Duka, associate dean of the University of Makati (UMAK) School of Law, emphasized the importance of treating men and women as equals.
“To call woman the weaker sex is libel. It is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior,” he said.
He also differentiated between sex and gender. Quoting Medical News Today, he said sex refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic differences.
“Sex (refers to) biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. That is by nature, we cannot do anything about that. Sex characteristics do not vary between societies,” he said.
He said gender refers to socially constructed attributes, roles, behaviors and activities that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Quoting the UNESCO Guidelines on Gender-Neutral Language, Duka said gender roles are the activities ascribed to men and women on the basis of perceived societal differences, adding that gender types are the main reason why women rarely reach top positions in government.
Duka cited statistics which show that there are more opportunities for men rather than for women.
According to him, male personal financial advisors; securities, commodities and financial sales services agents; farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers; financial analysts; financial managers; and first-time supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, among others, earn more than their female counterparts.
He also reported findings showing male employees in technology companies, like Intel, Google, Facebook, among others, outnumbering their female co-workers.
Duka observed that discriminatory acts against women still persist in many parts of the world. He said many female civil servants are prepared to invest time and effort in their careers, but society expects them to work at least as hard at home, based on article of the Young Women in Russian Public Administration.
For this reason, the United Nations created the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly.
The Philippines signed it in 1980. It is described as an International Bill of Rights for Women instituted on Sept. 3, 1981, and has been ratified by 189 states.
Deputy Secretary General for Legal Affairs Department (LAD) Atty. Annalou Nachura acknowledged that the House has gone a long way in terms of incorporating GAD perspectives and values in the chamber.
However, she said that recognizing diversity, and achieving inclusivity will require a continuing commitment and conscious effort from everyone.
“When we make a House a place where everyone, regardless of gender feels safe, respected and empowered, we create a healthy and productive workplace,” she said.
Nachura, is the co-chair of the House Gender and Development-Focal Point System (GAD-FPS).
The seminar was organized by the GAD-FPS, Committee on Decorum and Investigation and the LAD, as part of the month-long celebration of the 117th Anniversary of the House of Representatives.
