IN CELEBRATION of International Women’s Month, the Ateneo launched several initiatives throughout March and April to underscore the development and empowerment of women under the theme “Investing in Inclusivity: The Power of Women Visionaries, Changemakers, and Disruptors.”
Apart from recognizing women’s contributions to all sectors of society, the event aimed to reinforce women’s inclusivity, especially with preparations for co-education in the basic education unit next academic year.
Among the activities held was the first March of Women (MoW) by the Sanggunian Commission on Gender and Equality (CGE) and the Commission on Anti-Sexual Misconduct and Violence (CASMV). In addition, a Kapihan session with Atenean professionals, a bra donation drive, free HIV/STI testing, and a fun run were also conducted.
Investing in inclusivity
In hopes of narrowing the gender gap, University Gender and Development Office (UGDO) Director Melissa Lao, PhD, emphasized the importance of using gendered perspectives to analyze women’s experiences in the University.
Lao highlighted that the month-long celebration’s “open call” to host events enabled UGDO to expand the celebration to various stakeholders and widen its reach to the community.
In particular, Lao noted the inaugural Women Watch forum presented by the Department of Political Science held last March 19, featuring former Vice President Atty. Leni Robredo among others. Notably, the forum delved into women’s political struggles and explored the various intersecting political spaces for women.
Regarding their goals, CGE Co-commissioner and MoW Co-project Head Alliah Custodio elaborated that this project deepens their team’s service to gender minorities, highlighting their belief that “feminism is queer.”
“It’s an advocacy that we have to push forward, especially [because] women are considered in the gender minority even though we are half of the population,” MoW Co-project Head Cym Bontogon added.
A cry for women empowerment
Moving forward, the Sanggunian Gender Arms highlighted how the Ateneo can further champion gender equality, diversity, and empowerment, starting with initiatives within Women’s Month.
CASMV Co-commissioner Elah Deloria mentioned that their commission actively aimed to uplift stories of women who are forced to stay quiet despite having experienced different types of sexual and gender-based violence. They added that the Sanggunian’s Gender Arms CGE and CASMV want to branch out outside of Women’s Month to be more concrete in their advocacy of equality.
Ultimately, both CASMV and CGE wanted to emphasize the intersectionality embedded in and associated with the various issues women experience.
Beyond initiatives, Lao expressed that women should continue to be empowered beyond Women’s Month, noting that these steps should be integrated into the University’s curricular, research, and outreach functions. These include the establishment of the Gender Studies Minor and plans of a possible grant for graduate students conducting gender-related research.
“You have to come back to the core competence of the University [and] see how the experience of [a] more gender-equal, gender-fair, [and] gender-responsive Ateneo can enrich the experience of those in it, and those [whom] Ateneo serves,” Lao stated.
As the Ateneo strives to foster more inclusive spaces, the Gender Arms and UGDO encourage the women population within the University to actively pursue opportunities and “take up space.”
