Words by Kathlene Masilongan
Photos by Kaye Bernal and c/o #STEMSisterhood
Top L-R: She Talks Asia Co-Founder Iza Calzado and Dr. Geraldine Zamora
Bottom L-R: She Talks Asia Co-Founders Lynn Pinugu and Victoria Herrera
Why is it that we can list down generations of beauty queens and online “influencers” but cannot list down names of nationally and internationally acclaimed women scientists? At the recent #STEMSisterhood: She Talks Asia x L’Oreal Philippines Tribe Meet Up for Women in Science that was held last Monday, February 11, this was the exact question that was posed to us–and it made a lot of the tribe members wrack their brains in search for a name, even just one!
We know who Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are, but do we know who Ada Lovelace or Henrietta Leavitt are? Do we even know who Fe Del Mundo is anymore?
It’s not an unknown fact that men dominate the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The ratio between men and women in STEM is indeed large. However, despite this, the Philippines shines as a beacon of equality in STEM. Women make up 43% of STEM practitioners in the country, almost doubling that of the global average. At the #STEMSisterhood event, we met four of the women who belong in this category and are excelling at it.
The first of the panel members was Carmel Valencia, L’Oreal Philippines’ Corporate Communications Manager.
She is currently leading the company’s advocacies, not just in beauty but in science!
The next panel member was Alex Suarez who is an advocate of women in tech and is the Country Lead of Bumble Philippines. (Yes, the dating app!) She brings to the table years of experience in tech companies such as Uber and Google. Our third panelist was Dr. Geraldine Zamora. She’s one of the few Rheumatologists in the country and the Founder of the Lupus Bridging Fund. And lastly, our final panelist was Dr. Maricor “Jing” Soriano who is a Physicist at the National Institute of Physics at the University of the Philippines. She’s also a TOWNS Awardee.
Encouraging young women to pursue STEM
During the “Tribe Meet Up”, the panelists were able to share their experiences in working in these traditionally male-dominated fields and were able to impart various insights into what being a woman in science is like. When asked about what prevents girls to pursue STEM careers or their interest in the sciences, it was revealed that a lot of it has to do with traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Women are traditionally groomed for homemaking, while men are usually groomed to be providers. While this ideology has faded in the last couple of decades, it is still quite prevalent in various communities.
Dr. Soriano even said that convincing girls to be scientists isn’t hard, but it is the parents who need convincing because they are usually the ones who hinder this development of interest in their children. Meanwhile, Ms. Valencia added that people, especially women, should not be confined in a stereotypical label. “The geek can be an artist too“, she said. She shared that people are often surprised that there is a lot of science that goes behind L’Oreal, which people associate mostly with beauty products.
The panelists all agreed that in order to spread awareness on STEM careers and education, the public must be shown representation of it in the media. Though foreign media has gotten better at this over time, there’s still much to be done in the local scene. Children often want to mimic what they see in movies and television. Today, one of the most prominent fictional characters on television is a policeman thus influencing children to pursue this career. If they see scientists or doctors being heroes in the media they consume, they might be inspired to take on these professions when they grow up.
Iza Calzado, co-founder of She Talks Asia also shared a short anecdote about her husband’s company and how they have ten tech people but only one of them is a woman. It’s not that they only hire male coders, it’s just that there were no female applicants.
By giving tech and science people visibility, by normalizing it, we give children especially young women the chance to not only dream their dreams but pursue them.
L-R: She Talks Asia Co-Founder and Head of Branding and Partnerships, Victoria Herrera; Country Lead of Bumble Philippines, Alex Suarez;
Rheumatalogist and Founder of the Lupus Bridging Fund, Dr. Geraldine Zamora; Physicist at the National Institute of Physics at the
University of the Philippines, Dr. Maricor “Jing” Soriano; L’Oreal Philippines Corporate Communications Manager, Carmel Valencia; She Talks Asia Co-
Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Lynn Pinugu and She Talks Asia Co-Founder and Head of Public Relations, Iza Calzado.
Carmel Valencia
Alex Suarez
Dr. Geraldine Zamora
Dr. Maricor “Jing” Soriano
The #STEMSisterhood Tribe Meet-Up is only the first step to gathering a community of beautiful, talented STEM women. Its goal is not only to encourage but to celebrate the women who work hard and do revolutionary things in their STEM fields. After all, we do not only need more women in STEM, but we also need to celebrate them!
The panel session ended with the tribe breaking off into smaller groups to have more intimate discussions with their chosen panelists.
Are you feeling inspired to pursue your dream STEM career? Tell us in the comments!
