WOMEN EMPOWERMENT comes in many forms. Gender-fair structures and systems such as the Magna Carta of Women and the Reproductive Health Law potentially enable a gender-inclusive society. However, truly celebrating women for who they are begins with listening to their stories.

Two women who turned their passion into reality challenge the dualism logic  surrounding various gender discussions. As they share their journey to fulfilment, one thing is made clear: A truly gender fair society is one where women are celebrated not by their categorical successes, but because of their effort, courage, and perseverance.

To build a home: France Chua

Motherhood is a wonder hardly ever articulated enough. From mothers at home, at work, and beyond, the different realities these women confront are certainly not a walk in the park.

France Chua, now in her 37th week of pregnancy, reminisces that—of her many hopes and passions—becoming a mother was one that she looked forward to growing up. “It has really been my mindset even as a teenager na magiging mother din talaga ako someday (It has really been my mindset even as a teenager that I will be a mother someday),” she shares.

More than subtle thoughts of motherhood in her mid-twenties, however, Chua hoped it would arrive in due time. Finally, exactly one year into trying with her husband, a positive pregnancy test turned out to be a blessing amid the pandemic.

As the current health protocol classifies her as high-risk, Chua took a temporary leave as a senior service associate banker and remained home throughout the nine months to ascertain her and her baby daughter’s health. Nonetheless, she shares plans of returning to her profession in June—in discernment of her personal and familial circumstances.

Chua further shares the many woes that come with the bliss of nurturing another life within her own body. “Scary kasi ‘di mo alam kung anong klaseng mom ka sa anak mo…  Ang daming question kung paano mo [iyon] gagampanan (It’s scary not knowing what kind of mom you’ll become for your child. There are many questions of how you’ll live up to it),” she remarks.

The past six months have also been emotionally challenging for her, as she had to endure bedrest and occasional bleeding. Nonetheless, she feels ultimately relieved to manage a full-term pregnancy in the midst of a pandemic.

There are many more struggles—likely untold and felt in silence—that come with pregnancy and child-bearing. With the strength she shares with her husband, Chua perseveres through this new chapter of motherhood. Moving forward, her hopes as a would-be mom remain stronger than ever. She carries the vision of cultivating a deep mother-child relationship, having closeness and openness at the heart of her bond with her daughter.

For Chua, finding the balance of her career and her long-held passion for a home is certainly not without hurdles, but is ultimately one worth taking. “Very worth it ‘to… dinala mo siya, iisa yung circulation ng blood niyo, yung heart niya… lahat yun na-develop sa loob ng tummy mo… so parang miracle lang talaga (It’s really worth it… you conceived her, share one circulation, and her heart—they all developed in your womb… much like a miracle).”

Of multifaceted routes: Inez Ponce de Leon

Molecular biologist by training, researcher and Communication Instructor by profession, and licensed belly dance instructor, Inez Ponce de Leon shares what it means to explore various passions and share fulfilment by empowering her students.

Growing up fascinated by the sciences, de Leon shares spending most of her college years in the laboratory testing genetic samples. Yet when the opportunity to communicate scientific developments to the youth came, de Leon discovered her true passion lay with building connections through science communication.

“I felt as though I was in a space where I truly belonged, could help people, and could bring joy,” she says. Soon after, de Leon applied for her PhD in Science Communication in Purdue and came back to the Philippines not just with a PhD, but another passion: Belly dancing. She shares that, more than just choreography, teaching belly dancing as a culture is a way to combat the stigma of hypersexualization around it.

Having tested the waters in various fields, de Leon shares it is not a matter of settling for one profession, but finding joy in what one does. She shares that the road to seizing her passions was remarkably an inclusive and empowering one.

Recalling her undergraduate years, de Leon argues that contrary to popular belief, the sciences is not always a male-dominated arena. In fact, gender disparity was unobservable in the University of the Philippines Diliman, with the ratio of males to females in a class at a stark contrast of 5:40.

However, this does not eradicate the fact that the systemic and cultural issue within and surrounding the gender gap still exists. Systemic gender inequality can come in the form of economic income disparity, while cultural stereotyping can disguise itself in the most conventional remarks.

Recalling an experience during her PhD years, De Leon shares, “I was once asked why I wasn’t married yet, and I encountered students who were panicking if they weren’t engaged by their senior year of college.”

Despite this mild stereotyping, de Leon assures they were nothing severe enough to discourage her road to personal fulfilment. In fact, she insists abandoning the categorical logic of celebrating women’s accomplishments on the basis of their gender. “If I take the ‘as a woman’ qualification into account, then I am holding myself on a pedestal, which takes away attention from my work and its fruits. I’m not at the center here,” she explains.

Having found fulfillment in bringing joy to people through her work—whether in the classroom, danceroom, or laboratory—de Leon only has one advice for women who believe a future in the sciences or communications awaits them. “Ask questions…do your best to find out…listen to the answers…and the world owes you nothing.” More importantly, de Leon imparts a challenge to celebrate people’s accomplishments for what they are, and not an achievement based on gender.

Unboxing your truth

As there is no one true way to honor womanhood, embracing the various and often personal ways women find and seek fulfillment for themselves requires a more inclusive direction. Chua and De Leon remind that it is crucial to perceive womanness on a spectrum, devoid of absolutes, as there are as many ways to embody womanhood.

Their stories are only two of the many stories of women who have braved and triumphed through their own vocations. Thus, they remain testament that there is hardly a one-size-fits-all for women and their diverse passions. After all, empowerment is best felt within spaces they are impassioned and committed to.

In the end, whatever pursuit that may be, de Leon advises women to recognize the difference between an unjust and oppressive system from a merely challenging one. She reminds, “If [your passion is] just difficult? Time consuming? But something to learn from, to know more about, to help you grow? Then keep going.”