Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment, violence, and misconduct.

SINCE THE shift to co-education at the undergraduate level in 1973, the Ateneo has continuously served as a platform for many women to develop their potential and pursue excellence. Female leaders, changemakers, and pioneers of varied fields have found their home in the University, carrying with them the values and spirit of magis beyond campus grounds.

The journey to such change was never easy. Adapting to a previously male-dominated community unconsciously set greater expectations for the first few generations of Atenean women. Back then, there were limitations in terms of the community’s female population as well as the facilities made available for them.

Over time, the University community has progressed since its early years of acclimation. However, there is a persisting need to foster safer and improved spaces of empowerment for its female members, proving the crucial role of women in transforming systems and establishing more inclusive policies.

A wrinkle in time

The University’s recent history has seen a number of accomplished Atenean women thrive within and beyond its four walls.

After the undergraduate level’s transition to co-education, the rise of Corazon Aquino as the country’s first female president also inspired Atenean female student-leaders to lead and further engage in the fight for women empowerment. In 1984, the first female Sanggunian president, Maria Stella Mendoza Flores, was elected.

Seven years later, an organization called The Women of Ateneo (TWA) was formed by Joseph Galdon, SJ, along with the Ateneo’s very first batch of female graduates. TWA’s creation aimed to cement women’s stature as empowered leaders in their respective communities.

Since then, the University has moved forward in its path to women empowerment, particularly with its brand of female student-leaders.

Vice President for Higher Education Maria Luz C. Vilches, PhD says that over time, there have already been a lot of women at the University’s helm. “In the past, when co-ed came up, there might have been a deliberate way of making the female population smaller than men. […] Towards the end, there was no ‘putting a cap’ anymore, ” she shares.

During the term of then-University president Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, Vilches recounts that three major institutional projects were entrusted to female administrators, which included Vilches herself who became in charge of creativity. To be specific, Antonette Angeles, PhD was assigned for Atenean leadership while Kendra Gotangco Gonzales, PhD was assigned to sustainability. The fruits of Vilches’s labor produced the creative hub Ateneans now enjoy today as Areté.

Currently, there are six women on the President’s Council, according to Vilches. For her, the increased presence of women in decision-making bodies provides balance in pertinent discussions, where each member’s insights are regarded based on one’s credentials rather than gender.

Vilches stresses that the University’s current systems and gender policy underscore the complementarity of skills needed to forward ideas grounded on both objective results and communal values. Amid this recognition of Ateneo’s progress, she notes that the University must “continue with where we are” in its efforts for equality.

This integration of Atenean values in leadership remains one of TWA’s guiding principles. According to Atty. Lina de Guzman-Ferrer (BS ME ‘78), she joined TWA five years after she graduated to support her fellow female alumni in furthering their service to their communities as female leaders. de Guzman-Ferrer is among the 162 female students first accepted into the Ateneo.

Since its inception, TWA has consistently headed community- and leadership-related programs, such as raising funds for scholars and aiding in rehabilitation projects. Recently, it took part in spearheading an Ethical Leadership Training for School Leaders held on campus.

Only the young

At present, one of Ateneo’s prominent female student-leaders is Bernice Mendoza (4 AB COM). In joining the Sanggunian during her first year, Mendoza never planned on running for the presidency. Instead, she simply wanted to continue her call to service since high school and pursue the chance to help other people.

As she currently serves as the Sanggunian President, Mendoza utilizes the student government’s platform to improve already-established projects that empower female Ateneans and create more conducive spaces for them. In particular, her plans include the better implementation of the Sanggunian Safe Spaces Declaration, one of the organization’s notable initiatives that she helped establish in 2021.

These measures help many female students like Mendoza enjoy an empowering environment in the University. However, their privilege to move freely is still under constant threat as sexual harassment cases have continually hounded women on campus. She recounts the student protests in 2019 against a then-professor of the University tied to sexual harassment allegations who later separated from the Ateneo in 2020; the nature of his departure is still unclear until today.

Strong objection from the Ateneo community against the administration’s inaction paved the way for Time’s Up Ateneo (TUA). Consequently, in 2019, the Sanggunian coordinated with TUA after the series of protests in an effort to assist the administration in crafting the University’s Code of Decorum and Administrative Rules on Sexual Harassment, Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct, and Inappropriate Behavior.

However, as most of her predecessors in the organization were males, Mendoza shares her feeling of being subjected to more public scrutiny at times, constantly in motion to overturn criticisms. Despite such hurdles, she draws strength from a supportive community, as having similar experiences with other female student-leaders in the Ateneo helps her deal with the challenges of being a woman in power.

While recognizing the current initiatives being done on campus, Mendoza acknowledges that the community’s progress so far is still the bare minimum. “We have to bring this work outside the campus, and to carry that with us is a great feat as well,” she says.

Expanding horizons

While the University’s female leaders continue to be celebrated and recognized, achieving genuine women empowerment still has a long way to go.

For de Guzman-Ferrer, the establishment of TWA became an avenue for female Ateneans that followed her batch to showcase that they could be at par with men in terms of dealing with social concerns, intellectuality, and leadership. It allowed them to hone their skills while still being recognized as a woman.

Now that times have already changed and women are given more opportunities to realize their potential, de Guzman-Ferrer says that female Atenean leaders should keep pushing to be much more involved in and expand to areas in need.

Mendoza adds it is important in the future for women to take up more spaces in order to ensure that women’s longstanding problems are resolved. She encourages leaders to attribute more focus on serving communities beyond the University level.

Similarly, de Guzman-Ferrer hopes for more women to go beyond the Ateneo’s confines and maximize their skills in socio-political matters. “Be mindful that we’re also not doing this not just for ourselves as women, but that there’s a greater social responsibility,” she states.

Though the Ateneo has certainly come a long way from its once gender-exclusive halls, the current situation calls for the further cultivation of leadership among women in a bid to uphold the battle for gender equality.